Miracles
by snow-angel-anna
Summary: This is a new story based on a HoroXoc and HaoXoc, with a little bit of Yoh and Anna, so I hope you will take your time to read through and review, ok? I hope you'll enjoy it and thank you! Completed! Sequel will be up after The Second Bride.
1. Chapter 1: Meeting

**Author's note 1: I'm feeling more nervous than when I've posted all the previous fanfics, because this time, I'm going to do a _HoroHoro/OC_ and _Hao/OC_, along with the all-time favorite _Yoh/Anna_. I really hope that you'll give me comments on how I can improve and where I've went wrong with the story. I've planned this with a fellow author, her pen name is ade5kira, and she is also doing a similar Ren/OC and Hao/OC fic as I'm typing this. I really hope that you will, if you happen to be reading this, go and take a look at that fanfic called Destiny. Well then, go on ahead and enjoy this new fic!**

**Chapter 1: Meeting**

School has ended, the form room of Year 1 class C was almost empty, and as Asakura Yoh turned to slouch out of the class, yawning widely, his fiancée, Kyouyama Anna, pulled him back.

"We're supposed to show Hao around the school today, Yoh." She reminded him with raised eyebrows, and Yoh sighed at the thought of having to show his 18 year old twin brother around the school when he could be taking an afternoon nap at home.

Asakura Hao, who was sitting on a desk beside Anna, grinned and pushed his long brown hair of his face. Truth was, although he'd just transferred over to the school this morning, he was already rather familiar with the buildings and routes. All he really wanted to check out right now was the lacrosse field; he'd overheard a group of boys talking about going to watch the lacrosse team training today because some rather popular girl seemed to be in that team, and of course, Hao wouldn't want to miss this chance of chatting up the girl if she really was cute.

"Bring me to the lacrosse field, Yoh," He told Yoh simply, "And after that, we can go home."

Yoh perked up. "Really? You just want to see that lacrosse field? And then we can go back?" He asked eagerly. Anna rolled her eyes. "Are you an idiot? He doesn't want to see the _field;_ he wants to see the girls who will be playing lacrosse _at _the field." She said bluntly, glancing knowingly at Hao, who laughed.

"I don't care if he wants to see the field or the girls; I just want to get it over and done with so I can go home!" Yoh said quickly, and turned to HoroHoro, who had been very quiet throughout their conversation.

"Wanna join us, HoroHoro?" Yoh asked, adjusting the orange headphones that rested on his soft brown hair. HoroHoro shook his head.

"Can't," He said gloomily, "I must go to the mechanics' department to get my bicycle fixed, or I'll die walking home."

The foursome strolled slowly out of class. "Well then," Yoh said, waving as HoroHoro made his way down to get his bicycle, 'We'll see you later!" and Yoh, Anna and Hao headed for the lacrosse field together.

"Here we are, Hao,' Yoh said after a 2 minutes' stroll from the class to the wide lacrosse field beside the canteen, "The lacrosse field. Can we go home now?"

Hao glared at Yoh before leaning closer at the fence for a better look at the girls, who were warming up. "Are you serious? I haven't seen anything yet." He muttered, and continued to observe the girls, who had caught sight of him; some of them were giggling nervously and looking away, and some smiled at him.

Yoh slumped down onto the grass beside Hao and began dozing off, Anna gave an irritated sigh and stamped her feet; there were mosquitoes everywhere. After 5 minutes, Hao suddenly spoke up.

"There's a _shaman _in that team," He told them, pointing at a girl with shoulder length raven black hair tied into two pigtails, and dark brown eyes.

The boys whom Hao had overheard talking about the team hurried over to the field just then, and stood not far off from Hao, Yoh and Anna.

"There, Kahori's there!"

Hao heard one of the three boys said, and saw that he was pointing at the same girl he'd identified as a shaman. Yoh was awake now; he had stood up and turned to look at the girl called Kahori, and Anna shrugged, her pretty face blank.

"Takahashi Kahori," She told the twins, "She's a student who joined our class last week. She sits near the back door of the class, beside another shaman, Aihara Chitose, her best friend."

Anna glanced at Hao and Yoh, who were both staring at her, mouth slightly opened in surprise. She glared. "You two are really dense not to realize that there were two other shamans in our class besides us and HoroHoro, aren't you."

"How'd you know so much?" Yoh sputtered, amazed, "And you never told me!"

"Do you know what her spirit is like too?' Hao added with interest.

"You, of all people, should have sensed Kahori and Chitose's presence," Anna scolded Yoh, who gulped sheepishly, "Her guardian spirit is_ Saho_, a young girl who passed away at the age of 4 in a car crash. Both Kahori and Saho have a passion for lacrosse, which is probably why Saho latched herself onto Kahori. Her furyoku is 8900."

"Only 8900?" Hao asked, looking slightly disappointed, "I thought someone like her would have more furyoku."

Yoh laughed, and Anna stared sternly at Hao. "Kahori is not someone even you can manage, Hao."

Hao stared back. "And when have I _ever _failed to charm anyone, Anna?"

"Yes you did," Anna retorted flatly, "You haven't charmed _me_."

"Ah, but you're different, aren't you?"

"What are you talking about, everyone is different, we can't have two Annas walking around; that would be pretty scary, don't you think?" Yoh interrupted stupidly. Anna ignored him, and continued, "What I'm saying is, Kahori is not a powerful shaman, but you mustn't look down on her, because although it is kind of stupid to see oversoul performed by letting Saho possess the lacrosse stick, her punch packs a lot more power than you can ever imagine."

'And?" Hao pressed on, listening intently.

"And if she and Chitose do a combination attack, well, let's just say things won't be pretty, ok? Kahori isn't as simple as you think she is either. Half the time you don't know what is really going through her head. It isn't very advisable to chat her up; she's difficult to get." Anna finished bluntly.

She bit her lip and Yoh shook his head the moment the words spilled from her mouth; she'd forgotten that the harder it was for Hao to get something, the more he would desire it. And when Hao replied, "So what do you think I am going to do now?" , Yoh and Anna knew instantly that he wasn't going to let go of Kahori so easily.

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HoroHoro knocked on the mahogany door of the school's mechanics' department, which was labeled, "3 mechanics on duty; 2 at work." , which meant that there was still one mechanic free to repair his bicycle, which was parked behind him. He fervently hoped that it would be fixed by today; HoroHoro didn't like the idea of having to walk all the way back to the En Inn.

The door creaked open, and a girl with bluish black hair poked her head out curiously. The longer lock of hair on her right fell past her shoulder, and HoroHoro recognized her as Aihara Chitose, a fellow classmate and shaman skilled in repairing and adjusting all sorts of machines and tools. Her self created nanotech pet, Elysia, a squirrel-like animal with rabbit-like ears, rested on her left shoulder, its ruby red eyes fixated upon HoroHoro.

"HoroHoro?" Chitose asked, "Why are you here? Is there anything I can help you with?"

She stood upright, and her body emerged from behind the door.

"Well," HoroHoro began, unsure if he should be asking a _girl _for help, "That is… My bike… The pedal's stuck, and the chain seems to be loose…"

He beckoned hesitantly at the blue bike behind him, and Chitose grinned.

"Leave it to me! Just hang on a minute; I need to get my toolbox…"

She muttered, disappearing into the room again.

There was a great deal of noise the moment she entered; HoroHoro heard a fellow mechanic ask her what was wrong, but Chitose answered him with a loud "OUCH!" followed by what sounded like a mountain of spanners, screwdrivers and knuts crashing onto the floor, and possibly, crashing onto Chitose. There was a surprised cry, and her friends asked her if she was ok, which confirmed HoroHoro's suspicion of Chitose being showered by screwdrivers and what-knows, but after laughing stupidly and assuring her friends that she was fine, Chitose pulled open the door again, and stood in front of HoroHoro, her hair slightly messy, face dirtied, and uniform stained with black spots.

As she strolled over with a smile to his bike, HoroHoro couldn't help but laugh at the state she was in. He knew it was rude; after all, she was helping to fix his bike, but it was all too funny… Elysia slid off Chitose's shoulder as she bent down, a spanner in hand, to inspect the bicycle.

"Erm, err…" HoroHoro began, trying to stop his laughter, "What…What type of a pet is that…squirrel, rabbit-like thing?"

"Ah, you mean Elysia?" Chitose asked, laughing as she began to tug at something stuck in HoroHoro's chain, "It's a nanotech pet. I took two months to install the necessary programs, and it has a human intelligence program, as well as a priority command program, which is designed such that Elysia only recognize me as its creator."

"And why would you want to create something like that?" HoroHoro asked, finally sobering down.

"Because I like creating things that has to do with machines!" Chitose replied happily, still tugging fiercely at whatever was stuck at the chain, "Elysia is made up of a total of 17 nanomachines, and 3 programs."

With a final, aggressive pull, Chitose fell backwards as the knut stuck at the chain gave way, and she landed hard on her back. Alarmed, HoroHoro hurried forward to help her up, Elysia nuzzling against his ankle.

"Are you ok?" He asked as she sat up, rubbing her back painfully, but grinning all the same.

Again, HoroHoro started to laugh at her clumsiness, and looking offended, Chitose said, "What are you laughing at?"

"Y-You…You looked so funny!" HoroHoro gasped out, clutching the wall to keep himself from falling over from laughter.

"Hey," Chitose began indignantly, "Don't make me hurt you…"

Fired up by her threat, HoroHoro jumped back and taunted her, "Well, why don't you try?"

Chitose glared. "I just fixed your stupid bike and now you're irritating me?" She muttered, and Elysia jumped onto her shoulder obediently as she beckoned it over, "Would you like to see what my nanotech pet can do to you and your bike?"

HoroHoro glanced at Elysia, and it looked different; its eyes were no longer red, instead, they've turned frightfully golden, and he decided that it was best not to taunt Chitose anymore. Instead, he hurried towards his bike, and mounting on it, he pedaled quickly away, Leaving Chitose and Elysia staring after him.

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It was already 6pm when lacrosse training finally ended, and Hao was glad he'd asked Yoh and Anna to head back to the En Inn first; Anna would murder him if he'd made them wait till now, and as for Yoh, well, grudge over sleep was scary.

As he made his way over to where Kahori was, the other girls nudged the perplexed girl playfully and Hao grinned when he saw her innocent, blank look. The guardian spirit, Saho, appeared, hovering behind her, invisible to all but Hao and Kahori.

"It's Asakura Hao, Yoh's twin brother! That person almost became Shaman King, big sister Kahori!"

Hao heard Saho tell Kahori, and smirked. Kahori gave an inaudible gasp, and took a step back, gripping her lacrosse stick tightly. Hao stopped in front of her, bending down slightly and smiling at her.

"You played well although it was just practice, Kahori." He said pleasantly, reaching out to touch her hair.

Kahori immediately turned a deep shade of red, and without thinking, she raised her lacrosse stick, and clubbed it onto Hao's head.

Many girls gasped, and Saho's jaw dropped.

"Big sis Kahori!" She squeaked nervously, "What did you do that for!"

Hao, who heard Saho, grinned as he rubbed his head painfully.

"Yeah, she's right, what _did_ you do that for?"

"Y-You were embarrassing me!" Kahori retorted defensively, still clutching her lacrosse stick tightly, "That's the only way I know how to react, alright?"

Hao laughed as the other girls giggled. "I get it." He reached out again, and grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's go."

"W-Where are we going?" Kahori asked quickly as Hao began pulling her away; Saho hurriedly grabbed Kahori's bag and floated off after them, causing the team, who couldn't see her, to gasp. Hao didn't answer, and continued to lead her, and, embarrassed by the fact that other students were staring at Hao holding her hand, She hastened her pace and started walking beside Hao, glaring at him. "Let me go! Where are we going? Hello, I'm talking to you, you know?"

Instead of answering, Hao spoke to Saho. "Let me carry her stuff, you're attracting too much attention because no one else can see you and they think the bag is floating in mid air."

Afraid, Saho handed the bag to Hao, and they continued to walk.

"Let's go to my place," He said finally when they were out of school, and Kahori glared.

"Whatever for?" She demanded.

"For dinner," Hao replied, and, catching the suspicious look on her face, he added, "Don't worry, Yoh, Anna and HoroHoro are also at home. We stay together, you know."

"Well then, I want to bring a friend." Kahori said quickly, catching sight of Chitose walking out of school.

"Sure." Hao shrugged, and Kahori immediately turned to Chitose's direction and yelled, "YO, CHITOSE!"

Chitose turned, and hurried over when she saw Saho and Kahori.

"What's up?" She asked, glancing at Hao and Kahori's hands, which were still interlocked. Kahori saw her gaze falter, and tried to pry Hao's hand off. It didn't work.

"Well, this weirdo here invited me for dinner with Yoh, and some other classmates. Let's go together!" She said quickly, glaring at Hao before flashing Chitose a strained smile, which totally meant, "I don't wanna be stuck with _HIM _all alone! Please say you'll come, Chitose!"

Chitose grinned and nodded. "Sure, as long as _Hao_ doesn't mind." She glanced at Hao, who grinned back. "I don't, and that's a very cute pet you have, _Chitose_."

"Thank you." Chitose replied shortly, still staring at Hao and Kahori's hands.

"Let's go now." Hao suggested, and, pulling Kahori along, the threesome made their way to the En Inn, where more surprises await…

**Author's note 2:** **I have a feeling this is too long, but what do you guys think? Is the story ok? Plausible? I really hope so. I should mention that Chitose's nanotech pet was modelled on the nanotech pet that Vanilla from Galaxy Angel has. Please remember to review, and do check out a similar story by ade5kira, Destiny. Thank You! **


	2. Chapter 2: Secrets

**Chapter 2 of Miracles is up! I would like to thank all those who had reviewed my first chapter: **

**Hotaru **

**sweetness **

**the la-la idiot **

**anonymous01 **

**ade5kira **

**Missing Pen **

**Neptunecake **

**Misanagi-Anna **

**Arabian Shaman Princess **

**Thank you for your reviews, and I'll work harder! Please remember to check the updated version of ade5kira's Destiny! She'll be updating hers by today, so do check it out! Anyway, right now, let's get on to chapter 2!**

**Chapter 2: Secrets**

Yoh set a bowl of rice on the dining table, and glanced at the clock, which read 6.30pm. Anna strode in, wearing her usual black dress, and sat down, glancing at Yoh.

"Are you waiting for Hao?" She asked as Yoh sat down beside her. Before he could reply, however, HoroHoro walked in, looking around.

"Where's Hao? Didn't you all go to the lacrosse field together?" He asked, sitting heavily opposite Yoh and Anna. Anna shrugged.

"We left first because that idiot wanted to wait for a girl he took interest in," She said shortly, picking up her chopsticks, "If you want to wait for him to return, by all means do, but I'll be starting dinner first."

The front door banged open just as Anna's chopsticks touched the plate of kebabs, and she flinched irritably when a girl cried angrily, "Will you please _LET GO OF MY HAND!"_

"What do you know," Yoh told the scowling Anna with a laugh as Hao entered the dining room with Kahori and Chitose, "Not only did he bring Kahori back, even _Chitose _came!"

"Hey," Hao began indignantly when he realized that Anna had already started on dinner, "Why didn't you wait for me to start together?"

"And _why _should I?" Anna replied coldly, glaring at Hao before staring at HoroHoro. "What's wrong with you?" She demanded as HoroHoro dropped his chopsticks and backed all the way to the corner of the room, pointing at Chitose, looking terrified.

"Hao!" He yelled, "Why did you bring back that _MACHINERY FREAK!"_

Hao shrugged in return. "Kahori wanted her to come along, and I don't see anything wrong with it." He replied casually, looking at Chitose, who was still in her dirty uniform.

"What's wrong?" Yoh asked as he stood up to prepare more rice, "Did you two have a fight or something?"

Chitose grinned. "Why did you run away just now, HoroHoro? Weren't you the one who challenged me first?" She asked with a playful smirk. HoroHoro gulped, and glanced at Elysia, which was now resting peacefully on Chitose's shoulder, its eyes closed. "I-I didn't mean it, ok?" He said defensively, crawling slowly back to his seat as Yoh put three more bowls of rice on the table.

"I don't know what you both are talking about," Hao began, "But I do know that I need to change out of my uniform, and you ladies need to take a seat…" He glanced at Chitose as he pushed Kahori gently, urging her to sit at the end of the table, "Oi, asparagus head," He added to HoroHoro, who glared, "Pillica left some clothes here, didn't she? Lend them to Chitose; she needs to change into something clean."

"Who are you calling asparagus head, you freaking flirt?" HoroHoro snarled back, before getting up and steering Chitose forcefully out by her arm, "Come on, woman, I'll lend you some of my sister's clothes…"

They stalked out, and Yoh laughed. "Pretty lively, aren't they?" He said cheerfully, sitting back down, "Help yourself to the food, Kahori, don't be shy…"

Kahori smiled politely and picked up her chopsticks just as Anna asked, "Did Hao frighten you?"

"Well," Kahori began slowly, "You could say I was quite shocked… I mean, I haven't talked to him before, after all… It seems rather forward of him to invite me over although we've barely talked to each other…"

"You don't have to worry," Anna told her, "It's his way of doing things, he really means no harm, however bad his reputation was a few years ago…"

Kahori smiled, and said, in spite of herself, "I know, I wasn't afraid, I was annoyed because that guy came up to me for no reason at all and started dragging me over…" She laughed, "He's quite weird."

"Who's weird?"

Hao asked from behind, startling Kahori as he slipped into the seat beside her.

"You." Anna said flatly, and Yoh laughed at Hao's indignant glare.

"I am not weird," He argued, "I'm a very nice, gentle person…"

"Ego," Kahori interrupted him in a teasing tone, "You really dig flattering yourself, don't you?"

"By the way, Kahori," Anna continued, as if there wasn't any interruption, "You are only 16, aren't you?"

That caught the twins' attention.

"You are?" Yoh asked incredulously, and Kahori nodded.

"Yes, I skipped two grades and completed High School in England before I came back to Japan to do University." She said with another good-natured laugh, "But I'm not smart, really. I can catch up only because the teachers go slow with me and my parents, who are both lecturers in England, are always sending me subject notes via email."

"Your parents are lecturers in England?" Hao muttered, awed, "Hey, maybe they taught Lyzerg and Matilda too," He added with a grin, remembering their two other Shaman friends, Lyzerg Diethel, a former X-LAWS member who also joined Yoh's team for a period of time, and Matilda Matisse, one of Hao's three female allies in the Hanagumi, who had returned to their own country to study after the Shaman Fight

"Ah!" Kahori said in delight when she heard Matilda's name, "Matilda Matisse? She's my schoolmate before I came over to Japan!"

When they heard Kahori's words, their jaws dropped.

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Meanwhile, in HoroHoro's room, Chitose was changing into Pillica's blue sweater and black skirt. HoroHoro faced the wall, blushing slightly.

"You done?" He asked awkwardly.

"Almost," Chitose replied cheerfully, slipping on the sweater, "Is Pillica…your younger sister?"

There was a short pause, and when HoroHoro replied, his voice sounded different; it was filled with warmth and love, and Chitose was pleasantly surprised,

"Yeah, she's my younger sister."

"So where is she now?" Chitose asked, zipping up the skirt.

"Back at Hokkaido, our homeland. She's studying there." HoroHoro said, and lowered his head with a small smile, "You know, we used to have many other friends we met in the Shaman Fight staying here… We were really close too, although we always fight for the silliest things…" He paused when he thought of Tao Ren, a boy from China who was a year younger than him, and grinned at the thought of all their arguments, "We were idiots, I mean it!" HoroHoro said quickly when Chitose started laughing, "We were supposed to be enemies, vying for the title of Shaman King, yet we ended up working together…"

He felt a lump rise in his throat, and swallowed quickly; He suddenly felt the urge to call Pillica, just to hear her voice, or maybe phone Ren, and annoy him just for the heck of it… HoroHoro wanted to see them…

"Do you miss them?"

Chitose placed a hand on his shoulder and he turned, biting his lip to keep it from trembling. He hate to admit it, but he _did _miss them badly, from Chocolove's lame jokes to Ryu's retarded hairstyle… He wanted to see them; he wanted to know that they were doing ok…

"I'm sure Yoh and Anna feel that way too," Chitose said quietly, "I know how it feels too, to be separated from people dear to you…"

HoroHoro stared at her in surprise; it wasn't really possible, but her eyes… Her deep blue eyes were filled with bitterness, and did he see wrongly? Did he just see a frightful spark rise in her eyes… a spark which illuminated such loneliness…?

"I have a sister too."

Chitose said when she saw him staring, "She is two years younger than me, and if I remember correctly, my mother named her Hotaru."

HoroHoro started. "If you remember?" He asked cautiously. Chitose nodded, letting her hand slide lifelessly off his shoulder, and turned away.

"If I remember correctly," She repeated, her voice hollow, "Because when I was two, Hotaru was given away."

There was a shocked silence, and all HoroHoro could do was to look at her, unsure of what to say. Chitose smiled sadly, her expression unreadable as she said, "Do you wish to know why?"

Before HoroHoro could say anything to stop her, she continued, "Because my father divorced my mum, and she didn't have the ability to raise both Hotaru and I, so she made a choice, and gave Hotaru away."

Much against his will, HoroHoro asked hesitantly, "Do you know where she is now, then?" He edged closer to Chitose, who shook her head.

"No."

HoroHoro opened his mouth, desperate to say something to comfort her, but no words came out. What was this feeling? His chest… It hurts; the area where his heart was located, a jolt of pain was sent through his body with every throb.

He found himself wondering if he could ever live without having a sister like Pillica by his side. What would he have done if he had a situation like Chitose's? Would he cry? Blame his parent, maybe? Or would he simply live life away without giving his sister a second thought?

Another jolt of pain in his body made HoroHoro wince; what should he do…What _can _he do? She was obviously in so much pain…

Without thinking twice, he grabbed her from behind, pulling her into a hug, inhaling the soothing mixture of Pillica and Chitose's scent deeply.

Chitose turned and looked at HoroHoro over her shoulder, her eyes gleaming with tears. Elysia, which was sitting on the bed and blinking innocently at them, leapt off and nuzzled comfortably against Chitose's ankle.

Neither of them said anything for a long time, until HoroHoro broke the silence.

"We'll find her together!" He said fiercely, "We'll both find her, and then reunite your family."

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"Are you two finally down for dinner?"

Yoh asked with a grin when Chitose and HoroHoro both came back down 15 minutes later.

"Lost track of time while talking, sorry." HoroHoro muttered, and they both sat down opposite Yoh and Anna.

"Anyway," Hao said, "I hope you two don't have plans tomorrow. It's a Sunday, and we were thinking of going out together. Wanna come along?"

"Sounds cool," HoroHoro responded, "It's been a while since we had an outing together, I need to get out and go wild, anyway." He stuffed an oversized meat into his mouth, and promptly choked. Chitose thumped him on the back, and his choking eased.

"What about you, Chi? I'll be going too, so please join us!" Kahori pleaded, and Chitose grinned. "Ok," She said, "I need to return the clothes, anyway."

"We might be able to start tracking for your sister too." HoroHoro added to Chitose in a whisper, and she nodded.

"But did you know, Kahori and Matilda were schoolmates in England." Yoh said with a lopsided grin, and HoroHoro's jaw dropped.

"For real?" He exclaimed, "She knew that hyper bunny?"

"Yeah, I knew her." Kahori said, grinning.

"Hey," Hao said suddenly, "Maybe we can call Ren over to join us tomorrow…"

HoroHoro turned slightly green at the thought of seeing Ren so soon. Noticing his expression, Kahori asked curiously, "Who's this Ren person? HoroHoro's gay partner?"

Everyone burst out laughing as HoroHoro yelled, "_I'M STRAIGHT, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE! _Besides, Who'd like someone like him?_"_

"Well, Pillica does," Anna pointed out bluntly, and HoroHoro scowled; indeed, in her recent letters, Pillica did mention Ren a lot.

"So?" Kahori said impatiently, "Who is this Ren guy?"

"He's a boy from China we got to know through the Shaman Fight," Yoh told her, "He's mean and fierce-looking on the outside, but is a really kind person deep down."

"Yeah," HoroHoro agreed grudgingly, "He _did_ save me a couple of times before, after all…" He looked away, flushing as he spoke, "BAH! It doesn't make him any less of a moron, anyway, so screw him!"

"He just doesn't want to admit it," Hao told Kahori and Chitose mischeviously, "But they are rather close, and I'd bet he misses Ren!"

"SHADDUP!" HoroHoro half-screamed at him, and they laughed again, "Mind your own business, _old man!_"

"I think it's wonderful to have someone you constantly think of, and care about, don't you agree?" Kahori said thoughtfully, and Chitose nodded in agreement.

HoroHoro half pouted and looked away again. "Fine, fine," he grumbled, crossing his arms huffily, "I sort of miss having them around, alright? And if they can join us tomorrow, well, why not?"

"It shouldn't be a problem for Ren," Yoh said, getting up to call his old friends, "After all, his family owns _jet planes_... He can easily pick the others up before coming here." He added before leaving.

"Isn't it great?" Chitose asked cheerfully, "You might just get to see everyone very soon!"

HoroHoro could only smile feebly back at her; In fact, he really didn't know how he would react if Chocolove turned up with his lame jokes…

"Ah," Chitose said, clapping her hands together, as if she just remembered something important, "I can't wait to meet Pillica too!"

Several minutes later, Yoh came back with a huge goofy grin on his face.

"I'm not going to say who's coming and who's not," He said, "But I'm sure you'll all be pleased to see those who will be coming tomorrow."

"I wonder if my three beauties are coming." Hao mused, thinking about the three girls in the Hanagumi- Matilda Matisse, a bubbly, happy girl with orange hair, also Kahori's schoolmate in England, Kanna Bismarch, a blue-haired woman who smokes, and Marion Phauna, a girl whom Hao had been very gentle to since he met her because of her shy nature.

"Three beauties?" Kahori said suspiciously, "Sounds wrong… " She glanced at Hao, little knowing that one of the three beauties was Matilda.

Hao grinned cheekily and leant closer to her.

"Are you jealous that I've got other girls by my side?" He teased, and, through the corner of her eye, Kahori could see Chitose, HoroHoro, Anna and Yoh exchanging glances. She blushed, and her hand instantly closed on the lacrosse stick on the floor beside her.

"YOU'RE- REALLY- DETESTABLE!"

Kahori yelled, whamming her equipment onto Hao's head again, this time with so much force that the lacrosse stick gave a devastating crack, and snapped into two.

There was another bang, and the guardian spirits, Kororo, Amidamaru and Saho came floating into the room, looking anxious.

"B-Big sis Kahori!" Saho shrieked when she saw the broken lacrosse stick, "You broke the medium!"

"Hand it over," Chitose said quickly, and Yoh grabbed the broken stick and gave it to Chitose before Kahori could whack the half-wincing, half-grinning Hao again.

Placing it on the table in front of her, Chitose removed the necklace that she was wearing and pulled out the kite-shaped red pendant from the chain.

"What are you doing?" Yoh asked as she beckoned Elysia onto her lap. Without replying, Chitose pressed the pendant against Elysia's forehead, and commanded, "Elysia, in Emblem Jewel!"

"Oversoul!" Anna gasped, shielding her eyes as a flash of red light blinded everyone in the room. HoroHoro, who was sitting just beside Chitose, saw, through the light, Elysia being sucked into the pendant Chitose called the Emblem Jewel, and then re-emerged, its eyes bright golden.

Unlike the usual Elysia, its hind legs were replaced by a longer tail, and the red Emblem Jewel was embedded into its forehead. Chitose stretched her right hand out, and Elysia obediently twirled its long tail around her arm until its head was directly in between her palm and the area where the lacrosse stick broke.

"Damage analyzed," A monotonous, robot-like voice said, and everyone but Chitose jumped, staring stupidly at Elysia, "Repair in progress…"

And without warning, Elysia leapt at the broken lacrosse stick, and twirled delicately at the broken splinters until the stick looked brand new again.

"Repair completed."

The machine-like voice said again, and Elysia returned to Chitose, winding its tail on her arm to support itself.

"Good job!" Chitose said with a wide smile at Elysia.

"Whoa," HoroHoro said, blinking stupidly, "What the heck just happened here?" He placed his face near Elysia, and it bent over and sniffed his face.

"Thank you," Kahori said happily to Chitose, who handed the lacrosse stick back to her, "I won't break it again, I promise!"

"You'd better not," Chitose replied dryly, " It's exhausting to keep doing this."

At the sight of Yoh, Anna and HoroHoro's confused faces, she explained, "This Emblem Jewel once belonged to my mum, and it was originally round in shape, but she broke it by accident one day, and decided to give one piece to my sister and I each, and kept one herself. Turns out that I've got the bit with the most power."

Chitose pulled the Emblem Jewel out of Elysia's forehead, and with a loud crack, Elysia's hind legs appeared, and its tail shortened considerably. Its eyes changed back to its original ruby color as well.

"Well, if we're meeting tomorrow morning, you girls better get home for some rest," Hao said, still massaging his head, "Need me to send you back?"

"There's no need, Chitose and I live opposite each other, and we're not defenseless little girls either." Kahori said shortly, grabbing her bag and turning to leave, "We'll meet you guys back here tomorrow morning, then."

"Thanks for the dinner!" Chitose added, and grabbing her belongings, she hurried after Kahori, Saho and Elysia right behind her.

**Well... How was that? If you still can't picture Elysia, then think of Vanilla's nanotech pet. As for the Emblem Jewel, I got the idea from the Galaxy Angel Emblem Frame. I'm sorry this turned out to be a little long, but I hope that you will enjoy it! I put in a lot of effort into doing this chapter, so feel free to give any comments! And to one of my reviewers-I hope you're reading this, Hotaru , I really didn't mean to use your nickname in my story! Lol I hope you will understand! Thank you, and remember to check out Destiny by ade5kira, and stay tuned for Chapter 3! (big grin)**


	3. Chapter 3: Fate

**_Neptunecake_, _sweetness_, _anonoymous01, Hotaru, Usui Horokeu Fan, Natalie, Poring, Misanagi-Anna, ade5kira, the la-la idiot, Missing Pen_: THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR REVEWS! You guys make my day, really. Chapter 3 is now up! In chapter 2, we found out about Chitose's past, and how her oversoul works. I've also mentioned that they will be out for a trip together and some other people are coming! If you want to find out who actually made it to join Yoh and the others in the trip, please read on! I hope you will enjoy chapter 3, and do check out ade5kira's story as well; her chapter update will be up by today as well. Thank you!**

**Chapter 3: Fate**

Chitose crept around the house, trying not to wake her mother, who had just got back from work at the hospital, and was taking a nap in her room. It was only 7.30 am, and she was just getting ready to meet Kahori and head for the En Inn together when she tripped over a broken floorboard, and fell flat onto the floor, her keys dropping beside her with a dull clunk.

"Ouch!"

Chitose gasped, sitting up and rubbing her nose, "I hope that wasn't too loud…"

"Chitose?"

Oops. Chitose turned around and grinned sheepishly at her mother as she came down the steps, looking concerned.

"Hi, mum," She began, picking up her keys and standing up, "Did I wake you?" She stopped rubbing her nose, and looked at her mother, who had piled her wavy red hair on a shoulder and crossed her arms, her eyebrows raised.

"I wasn't able to doze off at all," She said, "But that's not the point. What happened to you? Did you fall?"

"Yeah…" Chitose said, laughing stupidly as she slipped her feet into the white sandals that matched her sleeveless white shirt and three quarter pants, "But you know that's how I am, clumsy and blur, so it's really hard not to keep falling or bumping into things and people… At least there are people who find these traits amusing, though."

And she smiled when she remembered HoroHoro laughing at her when she fell while helping him fix his bike. Her mother caught the happy, contented look on her face, and teased, "Found a boyfriend, have you?"

"What boyfriend?" Chitose returned with another laugh, grabbing her duffel bag, "I just got to know a few classmates better yesterday, that's all." She slung her duffel bag across her shoulder, and picked up Elysia, which was resting on the shoe cupboard.

"Glad to hear you've made friends with other people besides Kahori," Her mother said, "So I assume you'll be going out with them today?"

"Yep," Chitose said, nodding, her bluish-black hair swishing around, "I'll bring them back for dinner someday, just so you know who they are."

"That's nice," Her mother said with a grin, "Hopefully one of them is someone my daughter fancies."

When Chitose gave her mother a 'don't joke about things like that' look, she merely laughed and added good-naturedly, "Have fun, and take care of yourself. I'll be working night shift again, so I probably won't be home by the time you come back."

"Yeah, you get some rest before you go to work. Bye."

With a wave, Chitose pushed open the door, and stepped out. As soon as the door closed, and Chitose's footsteps faded away, her mother sighed, and muttered to herself, her eyes glistening with tears, "I hope _Hotaru _is having a good life too…"

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Being a rich young lady certainly didn't appeal much to Kahori, especially when she was going out, like now. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the housekeeper, Mia, hurrying towards her as she tried to pull on her sneakers without falling over.

"Miss Kahori, may I know where you are going this early in the morning?" Mia asked, and Kahori sighed.

"I'm going over to a friend's place today, so you don't have to prepare my share of lunch or dinner." She replied shortly, and stood upright, looking out of the window to see if Chitose was waiting for her outside yet. When there was no sign of her, Kahori grabbed her rubber bands and swiftly pulled her hair into two pigtails, which rested comfortably on each shoulder.

"You're going out…wearing that?" Mia asked again, hesitantly, as she looked at Kahori's oversized black shirt and khaki pants. She really didn't understand why a girl like Kahori, who was rich, and had many pretty clothes, would choose to wear something any boy would wear. As if she knew what Mia was thinking, Kahori said, putting her arms on her hips, and frowning slightly, "Unless it's the school uniform, Mia, you'll rarely- make that _never,_ catch me outside wearing a dress or something of that sort, because if I do, pigs will fly and the sky will probably drop…"

The housekeeper gave Kahori a disapproving look, which Kahori ignored completely, then added, "Oh, if mum or dad calls back from England, tell them to contact me on my handphone."

"Yes, I understand." Mia said with a slight bow, and Kahori nodded, looking out of the window again. Catching sight of Chitose grinning at her from the sidewalk, she quickly grabbed her equipment bag, and said to Mia, "Bye, Mia! See you later!" And with a loud bang, the front door swung shut behind Kahori and Saho's backs.

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"Sorry I took so long," Kahori told Chitose breathlessly as the two of them began to make their way to the En Inn.

"I didn't wait too long," Chitose replied, then stared at Kahori's lacrosse bag, "What did you bring that equipment bag for?"

Kahori glanced at it. "I have no idea… Impulse, I guess." She said with a grin, "Or you can treat it as a protection."

"Protection? Against who?'

"Against a weirdo called Asakura Hao." Kahori replied with a laugh, and Chitose grinned.

"You two are really close, aren't you?' She said cheerfully, and Kahori rolled her eyes. "Close my foot," She scoffed, "he's just a weirdo." She thought for a while, then added, "What about you and HoroHoro? You two took a long time in the room yesterday."

"Nah, I was just telling him about my family." Chitose said with a shrug, "You know, about Hotaru and my mum…"

"So how did he react?" Kahori asked with interest, catching sight of a group of teenagers walking ahead of them. Chitose thought for a moment, then smiled.

"He promised to help me find Hotaru." She said, and Kahori's jaw dropped in surprise. "He what?" She gasped, not realizing that she was slowly increasing her walking speed as she hopped in front of Chitose and started walking backwards.

"You heard right, Kahori, he wants to help me find Hotaru." Chitose repeated patiently. "Wow, he's really nice to you, isn't he?" Kahori said, looking unusually knowing. Chitose knew what she was thinking, and said at once, "It's not what you think, Kahori. Because he has a younger sister, Pillica, who is studying in Hokkaido. She might be joining us today; I'm not sure…"

They overtook the group in front of them just as Chitose mentioned Pillica's name, and a blue-haired girl from that group glanced up.

"I think I just heard my name," She whispered to a green-haired lady, who stared intently at Chitose and Kahori, who were slightly ahead of them now,

"You must be imagining things, _Pillica_." She said, "We don't know them, do we?" The green haired woman glanced at her friends, and her younger brother, Tao Ren, shook his head. "No we don't." He said shortly. "Mm…?" Matilda Matisse murmured, looking up and peering curiously over Kanna Bismarch's shoulder, "Hey, I know that girl!" She gasped in surprised, and everyone stared at her.

"Which girl?" Lyzerg Diethel asked, and Matilda pointed at Kahori, who was laughing at something Chitose just said.

"That black haired girl!" Matilda yelped, pointing, "Her parents teach in our school, Lyzerg! Takahashi Kahori, she was in my homeroom before she changed classes and you joined my class!"

"Really! Those are her _parents_?" Lyzerg muttered, remembering the married couple that taught in the school. He squinted up and stared intently at Kahori.

"Mari thinks that they may be on their may to the Inn too." Marion Phauna piped in quietly as Matilda ran forwards, waving her arms wildly around.

"Kahori," She panted, "KAHORI!"

"Kahori, someone's calling you," Chitose said suddenly, and the two girls turned back to see Matilda hurtling towards them.

"Whoa there!" Kahori yelled in alarm as Matilda crashed into Chitose, causing both of them to fall.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! I'm so sorry!" Matilda muttered, rubbing her head, painfully. "It's ok.." Chitose said with a laugh, standing up. Kahori peered curiously at Matilda, finding her shock of orange hair awfully familiar…

"Matisse Matilda?" She said with a small gasp, and Matilda, standing up as well, gave her a thumbs-up sign, and said, "You remembered!"

"Macchi, are you ok?" Kanna asked when they finally caught up to Matilda. "I'm fine." Matilda replied, then pointed at Kahori, "She's a schoolmate of mine in England, guys!"

"Chitose, meet Matilda Matisse," Kahori added, and Chitose smiled at Matilda, who grinned widely back.

"So I did hear my name earlier on!" Pillica said, glancing at Chitose.

"Your name?" Chitose muttered, looking bewildered, then remembered that she'd mentioned Pillica's name. "You're HoroHoro's younger sister?" She asked, and Pillica nodded.

"So when Yoh mentioned the two other girls who would be joining us when he called yesterday, he meant the both of you…" Ren said, glancing at Jun, who shrugged.

"Maybe." She said.

"Yoh? As in, Asakura Yoh?" Kahori asked, and when Matilda nodded, Kahori said, "Yeah, we know him…"

"Oh!" Chitose said, realization dawning on her, "You must be the friends they got to know through the Shaman Fight, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Lyzerg said, "There're more, but they couldn't make it, so it's just us today."

"I'm Tao Jun, and this is my younger brother, Ren." Jun said with a smile, patting Ren on the shoulder. Ren stamped his feet and looked away awkwardly.

"I'm Lyzerg Diethel," Lyzerg added.

"Well, you know me, I'm Matilda," Matilda said with a lopsided grin, "And these are my teammates from the Shaman Fight, Marion Phauna and Kanna Bismarch. We were under Hao at that time." She pointed at Kanna and Marion, and both girls nodded.

"The three beauties," Kahori said suddenly, feeling sick, "So Hao meant the three of you?" She glanced at the three girls, who indeed, looked very pretty, "That guy is a disgusting…" She began, seething, and Chitose laughed.

"What three beauties?" Kanna asked. "Hao referred to you girls as the three beauties when we were talking yesterday," Chitose explained.

"Hao did?" Marion asked softly, "Mari feels honored…"

The words were barely out of her mouth when Kahori grabbed her arms and said quickly, startling Marion, "Please tell me you don't like that sort of flirt! He's not worthy of you, Marion, and neither is that disgusting… _thing_ worth any of our time!"

"What grudge do you have against Hao?" Lyzerg asked in amusement as they started walking to the En Inn again.

Kahori gulped and turned away in disgust, "That _thing _just isn't worth it, I tell you!" She stomped agitatedly beside Chitose, and Matilda, Kanna and Marion exchanged doubtful glances; they had, after all, worked under Hao, and liked him for who he was…

"Don't mind her," Chitose said with a sheepish laugh, "Hao kept flirting with her yesterday, which explains her impression of him as a pervert, but then again, he did get his punishment for flirting with her…"

"Really?" Pillica asked with interest, "I always thought Miss Anna was the only one who could shut Hao up. How did Kahori do it?"

"She whacked Hao with her Crosse," Chitose said with a laugh, "and the Crosse actually broke at the impact."

"That stupid pervert deserves more than a whack that broke my Crosse," Kahori growled, and everyone laughed; even Ren, who usually showed minimal emotion, smirked.

"Do I detect jealousy in your voice?" Matilda teased, and Kahori blushed, "Are you jealous that Hao had girls by his side before he knew you? Are you, by any chance, starting to like him despite all that you've said?"

They rounded a corner, and the En Inn came into view, and as they stepped into the threshold, Kahori snapped, "Who likes that idiot, anyway? Like I said, he's not worth any of our- HANDS OFF ME!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Hao had came out and put an arm around her shoulders, causing her to yell out angrily.

"Whoa," He said with a grin as Kahori slapped his hand away, "Energetic, aren't you?"

Hao then glanced around, greeting each of them with a small smile and nod until he saw Marion, Matilda and Kanna.

"And how have you girls been?" He asked. "Like before," Kanna said, tossing the cigarette butt out of the premises of the En Inn. Hao smiled at her, then looked at Matilda, who grinned up at him cheekily.

"I haven't changed, and neither have you, in my opinion, but," Matilda glanced slyly at Kahori, "You seem to have given a certain someone a different impression, haven't you?"

Hao laughed, and ruffled Matilda's hair playfully before turning to Marion, who looked away shyly.

"How have _you _been, Mari?" He asked gently, smiling warmly at her, noting that her silky ponytails were longer than the last time he saw her, and that she seemed quieter than ever.

"Mari…Mari hasn't changed either," She whispered, still not looking at Hao, "And Mari is glad that Hao looks very happy and contented."

"I'm happy to see Mari looking so well too," Hao said, "Let's go in, shall we? Yoh, Anna, HoroHoro and a certain someone is waiting for us inside," He glanced at Pillica, who stuck her tongue out at him, "Besides," He added, "I'm sure someone is dying to see her brother."

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The occupants in the living room glanced up when voices could be heard, getting louder by the second.

"Looks like everyone's here." Yoh told Anna, HoroHoro and a pink-haired girl, Tamamura Tamao, who was sitting near the window. HoroHoro straightened up, glancing urgently for signs of his sister as one by one, their friends filed into the room. When he saw Ren, HoroHoro glanced away quickly, and thought he saw Anna smirk, then looked up again to see Pillica walking in with Chitose, chatting happily. His face softened into a smile when both girls looked his way.

"Hi, big brother." Pillica said, hurrying towards him for a hug, which she got, and then sat down beside him, beckoning Chitose over as well.

"That's right, Chitose, Kahori," Yoh said, "You haven't met Tamao, have you? She's a shaman too. She came from Izumo, and just arrived a few minutes ago. "

"I'm Aihara Chitose," Chitose said with a smile. 'And I'm Takahashi Kahori, nice to meet you," Kahori added.

"I'm Tamamura Tamao." Tamao said shyly.

"How come you guys all came together?" Anna asked, and Matilda lapsed into an explanation about how Pillica heard Chitose mentioning her name and how she'd recognized Kahori when they walked past.

"So Ren and Jun took a jet plane to fetch all of you?" Yoh asked, and Ren nodded curtly.

"We went to England to pick Matilda, Lyzerg, Marion and Kanna immediately after we've finished packing, then we flew to Hokkaido to fetch Pillica before walking over from the airport." He said.

"Where are we going today?" Pillica asked eagerly. Anna and Yoh thought for a moment, then Yoh said, "Tamao had prepared a picnic lunch for us, so maybe we can go to the beach or something…"

He'd half expected them to yell at him; after all, they'd came all the way here from their respective countries, and all Yoh wanted was to go to the beach? But no, everyone just agreed, rather happily, in fact, that it was a good idea, and Yoh then realized that they didn't come because they could take a break, but because they wanted to see each other and find out how they were all doing again… It didn't matter where they go, as long as they were together with people they missed dearly…

**End! Ahahaha… Is this chapter boring or random? Maybe a little random, yes? But I hoped you've all enjoyed it, and that you've all gotten a slight insight to Kahori and Chitose's family life… The next chapter will touch on their day at the beach... Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Seashells Part 1

**Kathy, Ephilia, Misanagi-Anna, sweetness, Neptunecake, the la-la idiot, Sahokahori (aka StEpHA), ade5kira, kinky, Hotaru: A BIG, BIG THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! Here's chapter 3, I hope you will enjoy it too! Remember to check out ade5kira's Destiny, which will be updated by today as well. Thank you!**

**Chapter 4: Seashells (Part One)**

The public bus that heads down to the beach gave a jerk, and, irritated, HoroHoro glanced up to glare at the driver, only to see Pillica and Chitose chatting two seats in front of him. It was amazing, because Pillica rarely opened up to anyone she barely knew, but she certainly have no problems speaking to Chitose now. Ren, who was sitting beside him, crossed his arms and asked, "Aren't you worried that Chitose might decide to take advantage of your trust in her or something?"

"Wary of her already?" HoroHoro retorted before he could stop himself, "What makes you think she's that sort of person?"

"Maybe it's because she knows you're stupid and easy to take advantage of," Ren scoffed, and HoroHoro glared angrily at him, "Anyway, you should know I'm not as trusting as you are."

"That's your problem, isn't it?" HoroHoro snapped back, turning to look out of the window, "If I feel that she can be trusted, then she can be trusted. Not like you can stop me from trusting anyone."

"Are you two quarreling again?" Lyzerg asked from the opposite seat, which he shared with Jun, "You two just can't help bickering whenever you meet, huh?"

_"He started it first."_ Ren and HoroHoro said at the same time, pointing at each other, then glared, causing everyone to laugh.

"Seriously, the more I watch them, the more I think they're gay partners." Kahori teased from the back seat, which was shared with Hao, Tamao and the Hanagumi.

"For the last time…" HoroHoro began, raising his fist dangerously while Ren's grip on his Kwan Dao tightened, "_WE- ARE- FREAKING- STRAIGHT,_ get that into your _pea brain,_ lacrosse freak!"

Saho darted timidly behind Kahori, apparently shocked and frightened at that outburst, and Kahori stood up, beckoning at her Crosse threateningly, "I'll pretend I didn't hear that," She said in a low voice, "But if you know what's good for you, you'd better watch your mouth, _punk!_"

"Keep it down, will ya!" The bus driver called as several other passengers exchanged amused looks, and Yoh, who was sitting in front of Lyzerg, grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry!" He called back, and then turned to HoroHoro and Kahori, saying, half-pleadingly, "Will you both please stop it?"

"Don't be so polite; just tell them to shut up." Anna said irritably, crossing her arms and glancing out of the window. "That's mean!" Kahori said indignantly, but argued no more when Anna's eyebrow raised ever so slightly. Chitose and Pillica grinned at each other.

"They're really close, aren't they?" Chitose said cheerfully, and Pillica nodded. "It's always been like that, even before you and Kahori joined us." She explained, and Chitose smiled. "I know," She said, glancing out of the window, "I had a talk with HoroHoro yesterday, and he told me."

"Oh? So how did you find him?" Pillica, who was eager to find her brother a reliable girlfriend, asked with interest. Chitose avoided her gaze, but answered honestly, "He's weak within, but strong on the outside… He obviously enjoys having Ren and everyone else for company, but at the same time, it feels as if he wishes to be alone… But despite all these inconsistency, he's a really kind and gentle person… as well as sensitive."

She paused, then lowered her head, a shy blush stealing onto her face. Pillica studied her expression intently, then asked softly, "Why do you think he's sensitive?"

The image of HoroHoro's determined expression flitted past her eyes, and Chitose found herself remembering his words.

"We'll find her together…" She muttered, then saw Pillica's puzzled expression, and added quickly, "I mean, I was just…telling him about my problems, and without asking for anything in return, he offered to help me."

Again, Chitose looked away before continuing, "He didn't say 'I understand', and nor did he treat or look at me differently or even pity me. It was probably the only time I felt so accepted when I spoke of my troubles… Of course, Kahori was another exception… The two of them are rather alike, so naturally I was drawn to his personality…"

Pillica watched, her mouth slightly opened in surprise; it was the first time he'd heard a girl talk about her brother in such a soft, understanding manner… It was as if Chitose knew what HoroHoro was thinking, and what he truly wanted, even though they had only got to know each other better yesterday…

"Chitose, you…" She began, but Chitose cut her off, pulling out a plastic bag from her duffel bag, "I forgot, I dirtied my uniform yesterday, so HoroHoro lent me some of your clothes…I hope you don't mind… I've washed it already…"

Pillica took the bag from Chitose, whose expression had changed; she was smiling again, and it felt as if the earlier conversation had never taken place. Before she could say anything else, Yoh called from behind, "You two, we're alighting at the next stop!"

"Got it!" Chitose said cheerfully, the said to Pillica, we'd better get ready to alight, Pillica."

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"Aren't you going to join them? They're picking seashells." Hao told Kahori, who shrugged and grinned lazily back.

They'd set a picnic mat at a grassy area near the shore, and while Anna, Yoh, Jun, Tamao and Kanna sat around to watch their valuables and chat, Ren joined Matilda, Lyzerg, Marion and Chitose on their search for seashells while Pillica and HoroHoro left to rent bicycles. This arrangement conveniently left Hao and Kahori sitting together on a bench near the mat, and Hao couldn't thank the heavens enough for giving him some time alone with Kahori.

Saho had disappeared with Amidamaru, Bason, Pailong, Elysia and Kororo, and as Kahori sat quietly, watching Ren raise his eyebrow at Matilda's cries of surprise and delight whenever she found a shell, Hao realized how different she was when she wasn't yelling at him, and chuckled. Kahori glanced at him.

"What's up with you?" She asked, giving him a look which plainly said 'weirdo'. Hao shrugged. 'I was just wondering what sort of girl you are when you aren't trying to kill me with your Crosse, that's all."

"What sort of girl I am?" Kahori mused, staring thoughtfully at the sky, "I'm just another plain Jane, I guess." She swung her legs back and forth, looking very much like a child who was happy and contented with things just then.

"Nah," Hao objected, leaning back comfortably, keeping his gaze on her, "I won't take interest in a plain Jane, so you must be something more than that." Kahori raised an eyebrow, then laughed. Hao stared at her, enjoying every single moment of his time.

"Why do you pay so much attention to someone like me, anyway?" She asked, catching his eye for the first time, "I am just one of those rich kids who hate being ladylike, and turn violent when I'm embarrassed… Mind telling me which part of me caught your attention?"

Hao grinned, then thought for a moment. He didn't know what it was, either, but from the moment Anna had said that Kahori wasn't an easy girl to deal with, he became dead set on winning her heart… Was it her looks? Kahori certainly did look rather plain, but her eyes were very lively and beautiful, and so was her hair… It feels so soft…But that's not it…

And then, he caught sight of her, smiling to herself as she watched him ponder over her question, and he felt a wave of warmth rushing in his body…

"I think it's your smile," He said finally, and Kahori grinned slightly, "And your personality, and the way you carry yourself…" Hao paused again, then laughed as he said, "Will it be too greedy of me if I said that everything of you appeals to me?"

"Whoa, there," Kahori said, giggling for the first time, "How's that possible?"

"How's that _not _possible?" Hao shot back with a smirk, "As long as someone with high expectations for girls like me say it's possible, then it's possible."

"Yeah, sure," Kahori said, rolling her eyes and laughing at the same time before waving at Chitose and Matilda, who was grinning at their direction. The moment the two girls looked away, though, Kahori felt Hao's hand on her chin, gently steering her to face him.

"Hao, what…"

She began, her eyes widening when she realized that she'd left the Crosse on the picnic mat, "Wait a minute…"

"It's ok if you don't feel anything for me right now," Hao said, interrupting her with a lopsided grin, "I believe that sooner or later, you will give me the answer that I'm waiting for… All it takes is one nod from you," He leant closer to Kahori, who tried in vain to pull away, "And anything will be possible between us."

Kahori gulped, blushing and hoping fervently that no one was watching as Hao continued to grin down at her.

"Hao…_That's enough_…"

She began softly, and much to her surprise, Hao let go immediately, and she shifted to the edge of the bench, her heart thumping wildly. What was this feeling? Kahori had never felt anything quite like it… The urge to pummel Hao didn't get the better of her like it normally did… why?

"Gotta cool down…" Kahori thought, fanning herself vigorously with her hand, her face still slightly red. Smiling again, Hao reached out, and brushed a strand of fringe off her face.

"Shall I get some drinks for you?" He asked gently, and Kahori stood up quickly.

"It's ok, I'll get it myself… Would you like some as well?" She asked, not looking at Hao, who grinned; He love seeing girls get flustered because of something he did.

"That's ok, you don't have to bother." He said and Kahori took a few steps towards the picnic mat.

What caused her to stop she didn't know, but the next thing she knew, she'd turned, and gave Hao an awkward grin, saying, "If you want to get that 'nod' from me, you have to work harder than this!"

With that, she turned, and hurried to the mat, blushing slightly, leaving Hao to stare after her, surprised and amused.

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Pillica glanced at HoroHoro, who was cycling beside her, looking out at the sea as he did so.

"Hey, HoroHoro," She said, and HoroHoro turned to look at her, "Why don't you try to spend some time alone with Chitose?"

"Huh?" HoroHoro asked, confused, "Why do you ask something like that?" Pillica groaned at her brother's stupidity. Didn't he see how much Chitose was drawn to him already?

"Let me ask you," She said, changing tact, "In your eyes, what sort of girl is Chitose?"

HoroHoro looked away, and said, softer than usual, " I don't know…" He mumbled, "But I do know that despite what she's gone through, she's really strong…"

Pillica sighed in frustration. "I'm not asking you whether you find her strong or not… I'm asking how you feel about her, you idiot!" She said, her voice shrilly.

HoroHoro blinked. "She's a good girl," He said stupidly, and Pillica suddenly felt like punching her brother, "And she's a very good friend to me too."

They were reaching the area where Chitose and the others were playing at, and Pillica gave another frustrated sigh.

"Incidentally," HoroHoro said, "You seem to be very drawn to Chitose."

Pillica smiled. "Yes, I am," she said, "She is, as you said, a very good girl… and plus, she's very open… She's a very honest person. She knows how to hide her feelings, though." Pillica glanced at her brother, who was smiling slightly. "Like _you_," she thought silently to herself, "You're hiding something from me too, aren't you?"

The both of them braked in front of Matilda, Chitose, Lyzerg , Ren and Marion, who were still digging for shells.

"Wanna join us?" Lyzerg asked with a smile as HoroHoro and Pillica got off their bikes.

"Sure," HoroHoro said happily, "Why are you picking those shells with a small hole, Chitose?" He added when he saw the small pile of shells she's collected, and she grinned back.

"To thread them into jewelry later on. It beats having to puncture the hole yourself." She replied as HoroHoro squatted down beside her.

Pillica watched the both of them, a small smile playing on her lips. Lyzerg and Ren too, smirked.

"Cozy, aren't they?" Ren said, and Pillica and Lyzerg laughed. "Aww, let them be, it's refreshing to see them like that." Matilda said with a childish giggle and Marion nodded in agreement, her long ponytails bouncing merrily on her shoulders. "Chitose knows how she feels already, but it's that brother of mine that I'm worried about." Pillica said with a sigh, and Lyzerg looked up. "Had a talk with the both of them?" he asked, and Pillica nodded. "Yes, and HoroHoro's so stupid it really worries me." She scoffed, sticking her foot deep into the sand.

"Mari thinks that it's best to leave things as it is and let it progress slowly." Marion said softly, handing a pink shell to Matilda, who put in into the paper bag that she was using to keep the shells. Lyzerg nodded in agreement. "We shouldn't rush these things," He said, glancing at Chitose and HoroHoro, whose heads were bent over a hermit crab, "I think at the rate they're going, everything will work out just fine, so you don't have to worry too much, Pillica."

"Hmph," Ren said, "If that blockhead can figure out what she's thinking soon, I think a miracle will happen." He turned, "I'm going to get some food now."

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Tamao handed a plastic cup filled with orange juice to Kahori, who took it gratefully.

"Thanks," she said. "What were you and Hao talking about? It seemed as if you were both having fun." Jun commented, and Kahori flushed. "Y-You saw everything?" she stammered, and Jun glanced up, surprised, "Well, no, but when I looked up, Hao was laughing rather happily."

Feeling relieved, Kahori forced a smile. "Oh, it's nothing…" She turned to grab her Crosse, and saw Yoh's grinning face. Her stomach did a small somersault; did Yoh see everything…?

As if he knew what she was thinking, Yoh nodded slightly, still grinning, and Kahori groaned inwardly as she stood up.

Now what should she do?

**To be continued in Chapter 5, Seashells(Part 2)…**

**Hello! Did you enjoy the chapter? I hope you did! This may turn out slightly shorter than the rest...just slightly, though… But I still hope you have enjoyed it! Look forward to Chapter 5, Seashells(Part2) too! It will be up by Friday, I believe! Remember to review! Thanks! **


	5. Chapter 5: Seashells Part 2

**It's really good to be back! I've lost count of all the reviews, so I may just miss out a few names…. Here goes nothing… Ephilia, Kinky, Misanagi-Anna, nana, Hotaru, the la-la idiot, Kathy, Neptunecake, anonymous01, Celia, ade5kira and Lilka, thanks for reviewing chapter 4! And to all those new reviewers of the previous chapters, a big thank you as well! Anyway, let's go to the long-awaited chapter 5! Remember to check out ade5kira's Destiny as well, because her chapter 5 will be up by today! Thanks!**

**Chapter 5: Seashells (Part Two)**

Now what should she do?

Kahori stood up, one hand gripping her Crosse, the other her drink. Yoh had seen everything… _Every single thing…_

"I'm gonna hang that mutt…" She thought as she forced a smile and said, "Well… I…I'd better get back to…err…"

Kahori beckoned towards Hao, glancing at Yoh, silently pleading him not to tell anyone what he saw. As if he understood, he nodded with a smile, and Jun waved and said, "Have fun!"

With a slight bow, Kahori turned, and walked off, gritting her teeth.

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Hao glanced up as Kahori came over and sat down, putting her drink in between them. Since she'd already gave him the go ahead, he wasn't going to hold back… He will do anything in his power to win that 'nod' from Kahori…

You shouldn't have…done that just now…"

Kahori muttered, looking away, and Hao stared at her, amused. "Are you embarrassed?" He asked simply, and as soon as Kahori raised her Crosse dangerously, Hao grabbed hold of her hand, stopping her movement.

Kahori glared up angrily at him, but said nothing, and Hao laughed and gently pried her Crosse away from her grip.

"What's wrong? Did Yoh see us?" He asked, and Kahori nodded stoutly, still glaring at him.

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Hao said again, and Kahori growled, wrestling Hao to free her hand, "Besides," He added, tightening his grip and leaning closer, "Since you already said I could try harder, of course I will, and it's not like I won't tell them about it…"

"_Say what?" _Kahori interjected incredulously, "If you ever speak of this to anyone who doesn't know…" She gasped, kicking violently at Hao's legs and struggling to break his grasp, "**"I'LL DISFIGURE THAT PRETTY FACE OF YOURS!"**

She gave a short yell, kicking harder than before, and Hao laughed and said, "Hey, if you keep yelling like that, you're going to attract a lot of unwanted attention… And you won't like it very much…Would you?"

_"You!" _She began, but quieted down considerably, and Hao grinned, letting her go.

"Really, how can a girl be so loud?" He teased when he caught Kahori cast a glare at him while crossing her arms. "You got a problem with that?" She snapped back, reaching out to grab her Crosse, which was lying at the other end of the bench, beside Hao.

As she leant over, the bench gave an ungainly wobble, and the drink toppled onto the floor. With a surprised gasp, Kahori tipped forwards, and Hao swiftly grabbed her upper arm before she fell over his legs.

"Chitose's character must be rubbing off you," He joked when Kahori sat back down again, flushing red.

"Don't poke fun of her," Kahori said stiffly when Hao handed her the Crosse, "She can't help being the way she is now." She put the Crosse on her lap, and Hao studied her intently.

"Yeah, she's very cute that way, isn't she?" He said, and smiled in satisfaction when Kahori gave a start, and dropped her gaze onto the floor, looking slightly upset.

"Well," She began, standing up, holding her Crosse tightly in her right hand, "If you like her so much, then why don't you go woo her and leave me alone already!"

Hao grinned and stood up as well. "Jealous?" He teased, and Kahori turned to glare at him before trudging towards the picnic mat. Hao followed.

"No, who'd be jealous about it? I'll be really glad to get you off my back, that's for sure!"

"I was just joking," Hao told her with a laugh, "Don't be angry, ok?"

"Who said I was angry?" Kahori retorted, and a small smile crept onto her lips as she sat down next to Kanna. Catching the smile, Hao grinned again, and plopped down comfortably beside Yoh. At the same time, Ren came strolling over, looking glad that he'd managed to get away from Matilda and her hyper activeness.

"I'm hungry," He said flatly the moment he sat next to Jun, and Tamao took out a sandwich from her picnic basket and handed it timidly to Ren, who took it without saying anything.

"You can at least say thank you, stupid kid," HoroHoro said reprovingly from behind, and Ren turned to see Matilda, Lyzerg, HoroHoro, Marion and Pillica coming over together. Ren scowled, and Tamao smiled sheepishly.

"That's alright…" She said, then as she handed out food to Matilda, she realized that Chitose was missing, and asked, "Where's Chitose?"

"She asked me to bring her bag over," HoroHoro replied, jabbing a thumb behind his shoulder, where Chitose was, sitting on the soft, fine sand and staring out at the vast ocean while waiting for HoroHoro.

"Isn't she hungry?" Yoh asked, and HoroHoro shrugged, grabbing Chitose's bag. Anna tossed him a sandwich and a packet of green tea.

"Take that to her," She instructed HoroHoro, who nodded, and began walking away.

"Be nice to her, yeah?" Hao called playfully. "Hey, sit there and spend some time alone together!" Pillica added urgently, and without turning, HoroHoro raised a hand lazily in acknowledgment.

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Chitose looked up when HoroHoro sat down beside her. "Anna wanted you to eat something." He said, handing her the sandwich and drink.

"Thanks,' she replied, then added, "Aren't you eating?"

HoroHoro shook his head and grinned. "Not hungry yet. Maybe later, I suppose." He stared out at the ocean as Chitose started unwrapping the sandwich. "By the way, why did you ask me to bring your bag for?"

Chitose smiled. "That's because I wanted to use the wire I brought along to thread the shells. It's at the left compartment…"

She pointed at the zip on the left side of her duffel bag, and HoroHoro unzipped it, pulling out a zip lock bag filled with fine, transparent wires.

"I'll thread them for you," He suggested, and Chitose nodded, pushing her hair off her face as a gust of wind blew past, "Why did you bring all these wires for?"

"Just in case my necklace breaks," She explained, fingering at the chain around her neck, which held one-third of the Emblem Jewel, "I can replace it so that I won't lose my Emblem Jewel."

HoroHoro nodded, indicating that he understood, and started threading the shells together.

There was a short silence between them, and after Chitose finished her sandwich, she started on her drink. After taking a sip, she suddenly spoke up.

"You know, if I had a choice, I would like to die in the ocean." She said simple, and HoroHoro looked up, surprised, "I'm afraid of the heat, which is why fire's not a good choice…"

"Why are you saying all this?" HoroHoro interrupted in concern, and Chitose shrugged. "No particular reason… I just thought about it, actually."

She stood up, letting the salty sea breeze blow her hair back, "I've always had this feeling that I won't live long, which is why I wish to find my father and Hotaru as soon as possible…"

"You're being stupid," HoroHoro said quietly, clenching his fists as he stood up, the threaded shells rattling as the wind continued to show no mercy, "It's only a feeling… As long as you believe you'll be fine, you'll be fine. Besides, I've already promised to help you find Hotaru, so rest assured I will."

Without waiting for her reply, HoroHoro stepped behind Chitose, and tied the necklace he made around her neck. Then, he turned her gently around as she reached up to touch the shells lightly.

The tanned beige of the shells HoroHoro chose contrasted prettily with her fair skin, as well as the deep red of the Emblem Jewel, and he smiled in satisfaction when Chitose asked, "How does it look?"

"It suits you very well!" He replied with a big grin, his hands still on her shoulders, "Now no more talk about deaths… Let's head back to the picnic mat to join the others." He added, bending down to grab Chitose's bag for her.

"But HoroHoro," Chitose thought as he took her right hand and started leading her after him, "If I ever were to die, you will remember what I told you, won't you?" She bit her lip, and her hand closed gently around HoroHoro's, causing him to turn back and smile at her.

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"Why did you two come back so soon?" Pillica hissed when HoroHoro sat down beside her, and Chitose beside Kahori. "There wasn't anything much to talk about, so of course we came back," HoroHoro hissed back, "Besides, I'm starting to feel hungry!" He leant over to grab a drink, and Pillica rolled her eyes, exasperated.

"Nice necklace," Lyzerg commented, catching sight of the shells that HoroHoro had threaded, and Chitose smiled. "HoroHoro was the one who threaded it." She said, and Pillica punched HoroHoro playfully on the arm, feeling that her brother wasn't that stupid after all.

"That's right," Chitose said, remembering what she promised her mother, "Are you guys free…Maybe tomorrow, after school?"

"Sure," Matilda said through a mouthful of rice balls, "We are only leaving on Thursday, anyway."

"I don't have lacrosse practice either," Kahori added, "Why?"

"I promised my mother I would invite you guys over for dinner…But since it is after school, we'll make it lunch…. Is that ok with you all?" Chitose asked, and Pillica and Kahori nodded eagerly.

"I guess…" Anna muttered, and Yoh laughed. "If Anna's ok with it, then you can count us in," He said, pointing at Hao and himself.

"I would love to go!" Jun said, clapping her hands together, smiling, "And of course Ren will come along!" She added, patting Ren on the shoulder. Ren looked away awkwardly.

"Mari…wants to go…" Marion said softly, and upon hearing her, Kanna nodded. "Fine," she said, taking a short puff of her cigarette, "Count Mari, Macchi and I in too."

"How about you three?" Hao asked HoroHoro, Tamao and Lyzerg.

"Can…Can I really come?" Tamao asked shyly, and Chitose smiled again. "Of course you can!" She replied, and Tamao brightened. "Then I'd love to!" She said cheerfully.

"It's not like I have anything on after school…'sides, Pillica's going, so of course I'm coming…" HoroHoro muttered, and Yoh and Hao exchanged sly glances.

Lyzerg smiled a little, then nodded, indicating that he would go.

"Great!" Chitose said happily, "Let's meet at the school gate at 2pm tomorrow, then!"

"That reminds me…" Kahori thought, biting her lip as everyone helped themselves to the last of the food Tamao had packed, "I have a match coming up on Wednesday…" She glanced at her new-found friends, "Should I ask them to come and watch…?"

"What's wrong?" Hao asked her, and Kahori quickly shook her head, smiling a little, "Nothing's wrong…" She said softly, and Hao nodded, handing her a rice ball. Kahori took it with a rare smile at Hao, then decided to think it over before asking them to come.

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Ren gave a small sigh, almost inaudible, as he stared out at the ocean. He thought he was alone, so he jumped violently when he heard Chitose say from behind, "What are you doing here, Ren? We're leaving soon, you know."

"Err, yeah…" He muttered. He was pretty sure no one had noticed him sneak away while they were talking, so why…?

"You don't really trust me, do you?"

Again, Chitose's voice startled him, and he shrugged.

"Tell me, Chitose, how did you and HoroHoro…"

"I was fixing his bike for him after school," Chitose replied before Ren could finish, "And then, Hao invited Kahori over for dinner, and I followed because Kahori asked me to. When we got to the Inn, I saw HoroHoro…That's why we are so close."

Ren scrutinized her suspiciously, but Chitose was staring directly at him, a small smile playing on her lips, and Ren suddenly felt that she could be trusted…somehow, though he wasn't very sure…

"Lying to you won't improve our relationship," She said simply, "So I won't. And neither will I lie to HoroHoro or Pillica either."

"Why?"

"Because they're my friends."

"Are you sure you only treat HoroHoro as a friend?"

Ren's tone was sharp, and Chitose looked away, caught off guard. Ren smirked. "Caught you," He thought smugly.

"It doesn't matter if you don't want to answer that question," He said, turning away, "I'm sure you know the answer yourself. All I'm asking is that you give HoroHoro some time, he's an idiot when it comes to friendship and the likes…"

Chitose stared at him, then smiled. "You really care about him, don't you? You're quite a nice guy…"

Flushing slightly, Ren glared, and Chitose laughed.

"All right, I get it," She said, "No more teasing. Shall we go, then? We are leaving soon."

She pointed to where everyone was, waiting for them, their things all packed up, and Ren nodded curtly, and the both of them hurried towards their friends.

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**"**What did you and Chitose talk about?"

HoroHoro asked, staring out of the window of the bus that would take them back to the En Inn as Ren glanced at him.

"Nothing much." He said, and HoroHoro rolled his eyes, "All I can say is, I'm sorry for doubting her."

"What?" HoroHoro said, surprised, turning to stare at Ren, who glared back, "You are?"

"Yes, ok? I am…" Ren grumbled, looking away, flushing slightly again. HoroHoro grinned. "Told ya so, didn't I?" He said triumphantly, and it was Ren's turn to roll his eyes.

"Whatever…" He said stoutly. HoroHoro only smiled, and glanced at Chitose, who was sitting with Pillica again, this time in the opposite aisle. Chitose caught his gaze, and smiled.

For a moment, HoroHoro just stared, wondering what it was that caused Ren to change his mind, then decided that it doesn't matter, and smiled back warmly, glad that things have cleared up between the two people that meant the most to him… Not that he would tell Ren that, of course…

**Yay! Lol, so did you enjoy chapter 5?** **I sure did, so I hope you all have enjoyed it as much as I did! Thank you for reading and please review! Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6: Feelings

**Rarr. Chapter 6! I've totally lost count of all my reviewers, but thank you all the same! For taking some time out of your busy lives to read this fic, and reviewing as well! Thank you thank you! Hee…. Lotsa Chitose/HoroHoro in chapter 6… ade5kira will be updating later today also… remember to check it out!**

**Chapter 6: Feelings**

Kahori exchanged glances with Hao, Yoh, Anna and HoroHoro, who were all surrounding Chitose. School had ended, and they were supposed to have lunch at Chitose's house, but she had been sleeping since they had a test in the last period, and even when the bell rang, she didn't stir.

"Well…." Hao said slowly, apparently amused, "Why don't _HoroHoro _carry her back? I mean… She doesn't want to wake up… and I see Ren and the others at the gate already…"

He beckoned towards the window, where they caught a full view of all their friends- Marion, Matilda, Kanna, Ren, Jun, Lyzerg, Pillica and Tamao- standing by the gate, waiting rather impatiently. HoroHoro glared at him, a small flush appearing on his cheeks.

"Why don't you carry her, smart-mouthed punk?" He snarled, and Hao smirked, putting an arm around Kahori.

"In case you didn't notice, stupid Ainu, I'm smitten with this girl here." He said coolly, and Kahori blushed and glared at him.

"You are _not,_ and we don't have to carry her back," Kahori grumbled, wrestling free from Hao, then bent over and shook Chitose gently.

"Hey, school's over…" She said softly into Chitose's ear, and Chitose lifted her head up drowsily, rubbing her eyes.

"See?" Kahori said with a grin, and Yoh laughed when HoroHoro rolled his eyes, "Told ya you needn't carry her!"

"I'm sorry… I had to wake up very early in order to reach school in time for my mechanics' department meeting this morning…" Chitose mumbled, stuffing her things hastily into her bag. Yoh looked concerned.

"But won't that mean you have to wake up early very often? Because I remember that I used to walk past the club house very often, and almost every morning the mechanics department students are there already…" He said thoughtfully.

"We hold meetings every Monday to Wednesday, and have to take turns to do after school duties every day. I'm in charge of Thursdays and Fridays, from 2 to 7pm, and some Saturdays, from 7am to 5pm in the evening"

"What?" HoroHoro thought as they all made their way down the steps, "Saturdays as well? And such long hours…That's bad for her health…"

"So…do you have to come back to school this Saturday?" Kahori asked, and Chitose nodded. But before she could say anything, she slipped on a puddle of water, and almost fell off the steps. HoroHoro grabbed her by the arm, half-irritated, saying, "For goodness' sake, watch where you put your feet!"

"_Ahahaha…"_ Chitose laughed sheepishly, and HoroHoro glared as everyone else grinned, "Don't you 'ahahaha' me!" He said heatedly, taking hold of her hand as they continued down the steps, "If you can fall while I'm holding you, I'll crown you Queen of Stupidity!"

As he spoke, Chitose missed a step, and stumbled; HoroHoro pulled her back quickly, and they both fell backwards, Chitose on him.

"Just as I was saying…" He began exasperatedly, as Hao and Kahori laughed till they cried, and Yoh exchanged amused looks with Anna.

"I can't believe you…" HoroHoro pushed Chitose up, making sure she was steady, before he got up, "You seriously need to watch your step!"

"Let's hurry,' Anna said impatiently, turning away to hide the small smile on her face, "Ren and the others are waiting."

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"Mum, I'm home!"

Chitose called as she swung open the door, and tripped over a pair of shoes. HoroHoro grabbed her again, and she grinned clumsily before looking at the shoes, which didn't belong to her, or her mother.

"Mum? Did aunty Yoko and uncle Yuuhi come over?"

"Your aunty and uncle?" Pillica asked, looking around, "Won't we be intruding, then?"

There was a flurry of footsteps, and a woman with wavy red hair piled onto a shoulder came hurrying out of the kitchen, wearing a blue kimono.

"Welcome back, yes, your uncle and aunty are here…In the kitchen, that is…." Chitose's mother then caught sight of the friends Chitose had brought home, and beamed, saying, "Come on in, don't be shy… You may call me Ayame. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Erm, is it really ok, I mean, your relatives are here to visit as well…" Tamao whispered shyly, and Ayame smiled.

"Don't worry, Yoko and Yuuhi would want to meet you all as well, so it's fine," She said cheerfully, "Take a seat, lunch will be ready soon!"

As Ayame hurried back into the kitchen, Chitose ushered everyone into the dining room.

"It's rare to see anyone dressed in a kimono nowadays." Jun commented, and Chitose nodded.

"That's what my mother likes to wear, and she has lots of those kimonos." She said, sitting down. Everyone else followed suit, and sat around the large dining table, leaving spaces for Ayame and Chitose's relatives. HoroHoro caught sight of a photo frame on the mantelpiece from where he was sitting, and a lump rose in his throat.

"That's her father and sister?" He thought, looking intently at the photo as everyone else chatted. Although the light reflected off the glass frame, HoroHoro could distinctly see the resemblance between Chitose and her father, the eyes, they were the same, except Chitose's were blue, and her father's gray… and Hotaru… although she was just a baby, HoroHoro thought the black hair and smile looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place a finger on it…

Quickly, he turned back when he heard the kitchen doors slid open, and everyone else cheered when Ayame, Yoko and Yuuhi placed plates and plates of steaming hot food on the table.

As Chitose did a brief introduction of all her friends for her family members, HoroHoro wasn't really paying attention; he was staring at Kahori, and thought he saw some resemblance between the picture of Hotaru and Kahori, who was sitting opposite him, grinning at something Yoko had said. Then, he shook his head and tried to focus.

_No, _HoroHoro told himself, _Kahori can't be Chitose's sister, she can't be Hotaru, or else Ayame would have realized it long ago…After all, if Kahori really was Hotaru, then surely Ayame will be able to identify her right away…? _

Yoko certainly didn't look nor act like she was already a 41 years old woman; HoroHoro thought she felt more like a lively, happy woman in her early 20s, what with her tri-colored hair and pretty golden eyes, and smooth, perfect complexion…

"Tri-colored hair?" HoroHoro thought with interest, taking in the silky brown, streaked with silver and gold, and spoke up.

"Did you dye your hair?" He asked, and Yoko nodded, saying, as she picked up a piece of unagi with her chopsticks, "Of course, I'm already an old woman with grey hair showing… Ah, but when I was younger, this was my natural hair color… All the teachers in school thought I dyed it then…"

HoroHoro grinned as the others leant over with interest to listen to Yoko's story of when she was a student, for she was a great story teller, very exciting and refreshing, and full of vigor…

His gaze fell on Yuuhi, who sat beside Ayame, a calm, sturdy figure, strong and reliable, and HoroHoro decided instantly that this was the sort of man he want to grow up to be: A strong man with the right morals, someone dependable, someone able to take good care of Chitose…

_What am I thinking? _HoroHoro wondered, glancing at Chitose, who sat beside him, grinning at Yoko's lively story, _Take good care of her? Would she let me even if I want to? _

He shook his head again, like a child with water in his ears, and tried to shake his thoughts out of his mind. _What was wrong with him today? _

"HoroHoro?" Chitose said, and HoroHoro turned to stare at her, feeling strangely distant, "Are you ok? You've been very quiet."

"Err, yeah, I'm fine…?" HoroHoro replied, forcing a small smile. Chitose did not look convinced.

"Really?' She pressed, concerned, unaware that Ayame, Yoko and Yuuhi's gazes were on her.

"Yes…" HoroHoro muttered, and Chitose nodded, still not very convinced, "If you're not feeling well, tell me, I've got medicine in the refrigerator."

HoroHoro smiled again, and nodded, dimly aware that Ayame was grinning at the both of them.

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After lunch, Ayame had to rush off to work, and Yoko and Yuuhi had to return home, which meant that the teenagers would be left in the house. Having bid goodbye to the adults, everyone else then headed to Chitose's room, looking at the family pictures hung on the walls as they made their way up the spiral staircases.

"Where's your father, Chitose?" Lyzerg asked as they sat down around Chitose's room, which was rather messy, with books lying half opened on the floor and study table, and bags lying on the floor.

Kahori and HoroHoro stared anxiously at Chitose, who merely shrugged and replied with a smile, "My parents are divorced."

"She's trying to make light of things," HoroHoro realized, "That's why she tries not to look to concerned when someone asks about her family, that's why she's always smiling when we spoke of her father…"

"I'm sorry," Lyzerg replied softly, and Chitose shook her head, still smiling, indicating that it was fine.

"I'm looking for my sister too," She added, and nodded at Kahori when she gave her a look that plainly said, "Are you sure it's ok to tell them?"

"Don't mind me asking, but what happened?" Hao asked, and everyone sat up, even Ren, who hadn't spoken at all since they arrived.

"Nothing much, My parents divorced when I was 2, and mum got custody of both my sister and I, but she felt that she didn't have the ability to raise us both, so she gave Hotaru away." Chitose answered, lowering her head, her bluish-black fringe casting a dark shadow over her eyes, and HoroHoro saw that lonely spark in her eyes again, the very same one he'd seen when he'd first met her just a few days ago…

"Ever since then, Mum and I have been living here together, and aunty Yoko and uncle Yuuhi would drop by often… They're mechanics too, actually, like my father." Chitose added.

"So she got her father's talent," HoroHoro thought, "A mechanic, huh…" He glanced at Elysia, which had curled in his lap unknowingly, and snoozed comfortably. Kahori reached out to pat it, and it stirred a little, and then continued sleeping.

"Have you managed to locate Hotaru, then?' Ren asked finally, and Chitose shook her head. Ren thought for a moment, leaning against the wall, then said grudgingly, "Jun and I will try to help you find her when we get back to China. We've all sorts of advanced technologies back home, so it's not an impossible task to find her."

"Mari…wants to help too…" Marion whispered quietly, snuggling comfortably under Chitose's blankets, clutching Chuck tightly. Matilda, who was between Marion and Kanna, frowned a little, then burst out, "When I get back to England with Lyzerg, we'll ask around too…."

"No, wait," Yoh said slowly, "You said your mum gave the Emblem Jewel to Hotaru and you after breaking it by accident? Then if that is so, maybe the Jewel will have a sort of reaction when they're near each other..?"

Chitose thought for a moment, then nodded. "Whenever mum wears her broken piece of Emblem Jewel, my Jewel will glow and turn a little warm…"

"I see," Anna muttered, "So if Hotaru still have her third of the Emblem Jewel, then you'll be able to find her quite easily."

"Ah," Kanna said, staring at Lyzerg, Marion and Matilda, who nodded, "When we visited Matilda's home at England a few months ago, we overheard a group of students from Matilda and Lyzerg's class talking about the Emblem Jewel, saying that it is a powerful magic jewel that can heal people and repair things… Is that right?" She asked Chitose, who nodded, sitting up,

"The Jewel is handed on to the youngest child of the Kaibara family, which meant that my mum inherited it from my grandmother," Chitose added, "When the Jewel's power is released, it can heal people, but sadly, it doesn't bring anyone back to life."

"That means we got it right," Lyzerg said, and Kanna nodded, "One of the girls mentioned that a friend of hers possessed an Emblem Jewel!"

"According to that girl, this friend of hers can never remember what she did after using the powers of the Emblem Jewel." Matilda added.

Chitose swallowed; her eyes felt wet suddenly, and heat rushed through her body. She felt HoroHoro holding her hand tightly, and heard him ask, "Are you guys positive about it?"

Marion nodded and said, "Mari was there when we heard that girl talking, and Mari knows that girl, so I am able to ask her for you if you want…"

"That would be great, Mari," Hao said affectionately, and Pillica clapped her hands excitedly.

"Isn't that great, Chitose?" She exclaimed, "You might just get to find your real sister soon!"

She stopped when she saw tears glistening in Chitose's eyes. "Chitose?" She said softly, "What's wrong?"

Everyone turned to stare at Chitose, and HoroHoro, without thinking, turned, and held her tight, his shirt dampening as hot tears streamed down Chitose's cheeks, and falling onto his clothes.

"Don't worry, Chitose," Matilda said confidently, patting her on the shoulder, "We'll find her, I promise!"

Crying too hard to say anything, Chitose could only nod, and clung on tightly to HoroHoro, who continued to hold her until she felt better.

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That night, after everyone had gone back, and Ayame had returned from work, Chitose was sitting alone in the living room, looking through the photographs she'd been showing her friends before they had left. Ayame came over, and sat next to her, ruffling her daughter's hair affectionately.

"Hao and Kahori… Are they dating?"

She asked, and Chitose grinned. "Don't let Kahori hear you, mum," She said, "Although Kahori won't admit it, I'm sure she likes Hao very much too."

"And Yoh and Anna…"

"Are engaged. Their family arranged it."

"Well, now…. Isn't that sweet?" Ayame stared at Chitose knowingly, and Chitose smiled. "Sure," She replied, putting the photos back into the cupboard where she'd taken them out from.

"How about… you and that boy called HoroHoro?"

Chitose's hand slipped, and the photos fell onto the ground soundlessly. Chitose bent down hurriedly to pick them up, hiding the blush on her face from Ayame, but Ayame saw, and grinned slyly.

"So I was right…" She said, and Chitose blushed even redder, "You do like that boy!"

"I don't…" Chitose muttered, depositing the photos back into the cupboard and slamming it shut, "I just…"

"Just what?" Ayame teased, and Chitose turned, glaring a little. "Fine, you win…"

"So you do?"

There was a short silence, then Chitose replied with a small nod, and Ayame laughed.

"Go for it, Chitose!" She said, sounding more like a sister than a mother, and Chitose almost fell when she heard her mother's words.

"This is definitely _not_ normal…" Chitose thought, "Mothers are usually so protective over their daughters…Not normal…._Not normal at all_…."

Ayame coughed a little, and Chitose snapped out of her thoughts. "Are you falling sick?" She asked, and Ayame smiled.

"Nothing to worry about, Chitose. You have to go to school early tomorrow, so go get some rest…" She assured Chitose, who frowned.

"If you're sick, you'd better take a day off," She told Ayame as her mother pushed her up the stairs.

"I'm fine," Ayame repeated, "Now go get some rest."

Unwillingly, Chitose climbed up the stairs, bidding her mother good night, and fervently hoping that Ayame was really feeling fine…

**FINISHED! Hope you enjoyed it…look forward to chappie 7 too! Bye for now!**


	7. Chapter 7: To Do, Or Not To Do

**Yes! I'm back for another update! Chapter 7 focuses on Hao and Kahori's relationship… A little shaky now, because of a decision Kahori made… And there's some insight on Ayame's condition…. You wouldn't want to miss this chapter, really! I'd like to thank the previous reviewers who reviewed chapter 6, as well as chapter 5…. I'll keep trying hard… So you make sure you all come back to read it! Ade5kira will update by today, so do go and take a look at hers as well! Now… CHAPTER 7!!**

**Chapter 7: To Do, Or Not To Do**

It was break time, and Hao, Kahori, Chitose, HoroHoro, Yoh and Anna gathered around Kahori's desk, snacking and chatting at the same time. Chitose was quietly chewing on her bread, like Anna, listening to Yoh, Hao and HoroHoro's arguments about Hao's hairdo.

That was fine, Hao thought, because Chitose don't really speak much except when she is with HoroHoro and Pillica, but why was Kahori just as quiet as her today? It didn't make sense, and Hao was puzzled and concerned, especially when even his usual flirting didn't agitate her as much.

"Is everything ok?" He asked Kahori, who was spacing out. Kahori started, and smiled uneasily.

"Yeah…err, yeah, everything's ok…" She replied, then turned when a fellow classmate and lacrosse player called to her, "We're counting on you for the match later, Kahori!"

"I'll do my best!" Kahori called back, and heard Hao asked as she turned back, "You have a lacrosse match later?"

"Yes," She replied, avoiding his gaze, "After school, at our field."

Kahori hoped that Hao don't intend to turn up later. The reason why she hadn't told them about it earlier was because she didn't know if she should ask them to come and watch her team play, and figured that she would get all nervy if Hao _did _turn up.

Besides, Kahori thought as she stared at Chitose, her best friend's mother was sick, and Chitose was really worried, so it wasn't really nice to ask her to watch the match; that would be really insensitive…

"Can we come and watch?" Yoh asked, "I'm very interested to watch you play, you are, after all, the school's star player..."

_Great,_ Kahori thought dryly, _just great. You're going to screw up, Kahori, and you know it._

"Err…" She muttered, still not looking at Hao, who was staring at her with an unreadable expression, "I don't know…"

"Are you afraid that you'd mess up because we are present?" Chitose asked gently; Kahori felt a wave of relief…. Chitose really knew her best, after all…

"I guess…" She replied, rubbing her nose uncomfortably, and Chitose smiled. "We're going to give you support, Kahori," She said, "Not to pressurize you, so there's really no need to feel intimidated just because we're there…"

"But…Ayame…She's sick… Shouldn't you go home early to make sure she's fine…?" Kahori began, and Chitose smiled.

"It's ok; mum knows what she's doing… I think…" She added under her breath. "Ayame's sick?" HoroHoro asked, and Chitose nodded. "Mum has asthma… and she caught the flu bug in the hospital too…"

"That's why you should go home, Chitose," Kahori insisted, "_She's sick_…."

"It'll be fine." Chitose said firmly, though she wasn't very sure herself; Ayame had an asthma attack before she left for work today, and that hadn't happened for a very long time…

"We're coming," Hao said quietly, and Kahori groaned inwardly, "To watch you play."

"Oh, ok…" She said with a frustrated sigh, "Just don't let me see your faces when the match starts."

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Kahori stared nervously around as she took position on the field, her eyes scanning the crowd quickly for signs of the twins, Anna, Chitose and HoroHoro.

"Kahori, all the best!" She heard her teammates call to her, and she returned them a forced grin.

_You've got to concentrate, Kahori, _She thought, gritting her teeth and gripping the Crosse tightly, _the national team have sent scouts to spot potential players…You've waited for this day for so long, you can't screw up now… _

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"She sure has lots of supporters," Hao grumbled, leaning back on his seat irritably, eyeing the banners that featured Kahori with a slight scowl. Chitose laughed, and Anna smirked.

"Jealous?" She said smugly, and Hao rolled his eyes, still scowling.

"Kahori is one of the attackers… She plays second home, I believe…" Chitose said, and Yoh looked confused.

"What's that?" He asked blankly.

"Second home is considered the playmaker, and should be able to shoot well from all angles and distance from the goal." Chitose explained, ready to bet that Yoh hadn't understood half the things she'd said.

Yoh looked slightly lost, and HoroHoro was scratching his head, looking even more confused. Anna seemed to have got it; she was nodding thoughtfully… And Hao? Chitose glanced at him, and realized, from his steely glare at some of Kahori's supporters, that he hadn't heard a word she'd said.

"It's starting," HoroHoro said quickly when he heard a short blast of whistle from the referee, and with a loud clatter of Crosses, the yellow ball was flung into the air.

Hao's eyes sought Kahori, who was darting back and forth nimbly around the field, weaving past players and gaining possession of the ball every time her teammates passed to her.

There was a fierce, unyielding look on her face as she tackled for the ball with the opponent near the benches where Hao and the others were sitting, and as the supporters screamed and cheered for her, Hao saw Kahori give a hard push with her Crosse, and dodged away, the ball cradled safely in her Crosse.

She's cool," Yoh said, awed, and HoroHoro nodded in agreement. Hao had leant forward, his gaze still on Kahori, who was, once again, caught in a violent tackle with her opponent.

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At the last 10 seconds to the end of the game, Kahori realized that her team needed one last point to tie with their opponent. Yet, she was exhausted, and so were her teammates, she could tell; their movements had slowed down, but they had to make a tie, at the very least….

"Kahori, first home! Pass it to first home!" Kahori heard her team leader, Minako, yell, and with an abrupt brake, she swerved back, startling the opponent chasing after her, and swung the Crosse wildly towards Christy, a first home player, who caught it, and attempted to shoot.

"Shoot, Chrissie, SHOOT!!" Kahori and Minako yelled urgently at the same time, but Christy didn't seem to be able to shoot; two of their opponents had cornered her, and she had trouble breaking free.

Dashing past, Kahori made eye contact with Christy as the crowd roared out the number of seconds they had left.

"5!"

Kahori stepped, as quietly as possible, behind the two opponents who had cornered Christy, and pushed her Crosse roughly between them without making contact, thus not fouling.

"4!"

"Chrissie! Pass it over! Quick!" She hissed, and tackling away the opponents Crosses, Christy jerked her Crosse, and the ball flew out, only to be captured by Kahori's own Crosse. Satisfied, Kahori tackled away the two opponents, and turned to run for the goal.

"3!"

Kahori gulped, feeling the perspiration slipping off her face as she made a mad dash for the goal. She wasn't going to lose; she had to make the tie, _she had to…_

"2!"

"Kahori, SHOOT!!!" Minako, Christy, the rest of the team, and the crowd yelled at the same time, and Kahori raised her Crosse, positioning herself to shoot.

"1!"

"Kahori!" Minako yelled again, desperation in her voice, and with a heavy swing, Kahori flung the ball out of her Crosse, and it soared towards the goal…

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Hao, HoroHoro and Yoh slumped back onto their seats as the crowd scream and cheered.

"She made it! She made the tie!" Chitose said, clapping along with the others.

"I almost got a _heart attack_," HoroHoro muttered, and Yoh nodded in agreement. Anna smirked. "You boys are _pathetic_." She said, and HoroHoro glared, but said nothing. Chitose turned to Hao, then realized he was gone.

"Where's…" She began, then saw Anna pointing smugly at the players' bench. She took a quick glance, and smiled when she saw Hao hugging Kahori, who was blushing furiously as all her teammates laughed and teased her.

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"Let me go!" Kahori said quickly, prying Hao's grasp off her, "There're many people watching, and I stink… _let go…_"

"Good game, Kahori sis!" Saho said happily, appearing beside Hao when he let go. Kahori grinned. "Thanks, Saho." She said, and Saho swooped down and hugged Kahori, who laughed.

"Come have dinner over at our house," Hao said, "We're having a farewell party for Ren and the others, they're leaving tomorrow, you see, and we ought to celebrate, besides, it was you who made the tie possible, the credit should go to you."

"Don't be stupid, Christy, Minako and the others did a good job too," Kahori said, waving goodbye to her teammates and made her way with Hao and Saho to where Chitose, Yoh, HoroHoro and Anna were.

"Good game." Yoh said cheerfully, as Chitose slapped five with Kahori and Elysia jumped onto her shoulder, nuzzling against her face, which was slightly wet with perspiration after the match.

"Let's go back, you can take a shower in our house, then party with us… We're taking the day off school tomorrow to send Ren, Lyzerg and the others to the airport, will you and Chitose be coming?" HoroHoro asked as they made their way out of school.

"I don't mind," Kahori said, "I need a rest after today's match, anyway." She grabbed her towel out from her bag, and wiped her face.

"Count me in," Chitose added, "After that, I might be able to get home to convince my mum not to go for work if she's still sick…"

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Kahori's phone vibrated violently, and putting her drink down, she reached out to answer the call.

They were partying at Yoh's place, and everyone was talking about the lacrosse match, and Kahori, slightly embarrassed, had isolated herself at the corner of the room. Presently, she flipped open her phone, and answered the call.

"Hello? Kahori speaking." She said, and smiled when she heard Minako's voice. "What's up, Minako?"

Kahori sipped her drink as she listened to her team leader over the phone, and almost spat out her drink in surprise when she heard Minako's words.

"Who? _Me?"_ She exclaimed, a little too loudly, for Hao turned to stare at her quizzically, "Err…. Ok…" She muttered, "Thanks…"

Flipping her phone shut with a clap, Kahori stood up, and, wordlessly, she turned, and headed for the garden.

"Go after her," Lyzerg urged Hao, who was staring after Kahori, and Hao shrugged uncertainly. "Go on, Hao," Matilda insisted, and Kanna gave Hao a push. Hao sighed, then hurried after Kahori.  
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"What's up?" Kahori asked when she saw Hao's shadow, and turned to see Hao strolling over.

"You just walked out like that…..Anything wrong?" He asked, sitting beside her on the bench.

Kahori stared at Hao intently, debating whether or not she should tell him what Minako told her. "He'd find out sooner or later," She thought, "Might as well tell him now…"

"I got a call from Minako, my lacrosse team leader," Kahori began, staring at her lap, "The scouts sent by the national team had requested that I join the national team with Minako."

Hao blinked, and felt his heart sinking. "They recruited you and Minako?" He asked, and Kahori nodded.

"I said ok," Kahori added softly, "Because this is something I had always wanted."

_But now_, she thought, _it's different, because you came into my life. It's all because of you, that I don't feel as happy as I ought to feel…It's because I realize that I would rather spend more time with you than I would for training……_

Hao looked strangely distant, and Kahori was afraid that he would get up and walk away, but he didn't. Hao merely sat there, gazing thoughtfully at nothing in particular. Finally, he said, "I guess I should congratulate you."

"I'm sorry," Kahori whispered, "You're not pleased, aren't you?

Hao smiled, looking away, "Of course I'm not. Because if you join the national team, it would mean that I had lesser time to spend with you. But," He paused, and smiled at her, "If that's what you really want, then don't let me stop you. It is your choice, your decision. What right do I have to stop you from doing what you want most?"

Kahori suddenly felt very guilty and hurt; part of her wanted Hao to stop her from joining the team, so that she could admit openly that she really, really liked him… He had the right to stop me, she thought, because he likes me, simple as that.

Still, if she quit the national team now, Hao would feel that it was his fault; he would feel that it was him who had forced her to quit…

She really didn't know what she should do now, but one thing's for sure… As much as she hated to admit it, she'd really fallen, deep and hard, for Hao….

**Muahahahaha!!! I'm done here! I liked chapter 7… . Kahori and Hao fluff is still the sweetest, after all! I hope you enjoyed that! I'll be up with,…. GASP! The long awaited chapter 8 by Tuesday, I believe! Why long awaited? You'll find out soon enough! **


	8. Chapter 8: Fall

**Chapter 8! Finally…I believe there will be a total of 20 chapters, I've got most of the things planned out already….Anyway, thanks for reviewing my chapters, yeah? I can't wait to do this… Oh, if you read chapter 7, please please please don't miss chapter 8! You'll HANG yourself if you do! Really! Anyway, ade5kira will update today also, so check it out, ok? On to chapter 8!!!**

**Chapter 8: Fall**

Chitose looked up, a piece of toast dangling in her mouth, when she heard Ayame coughing. Concerned, she got up from the dining table, and poked her head into the dining room, where her mother was.

"Mum, are you super sure you can report for work today?" Chitose asked doubtfully, stuffing the toast into her mouth as she spoke, so that her sentence sounded oddly distorted.

Ayame smiled at her, and said, "You sound like some naggy old woman… Of course I'm able to report for work!" She got up, straightened her kimono, and walked towards Chitose.

"Just don't worry and go send your friends off at the airport," She added gently, pulling Chitose's soft, bluish-black hair into a neat ponytail and tying it with a silver ribbon she'd pulled out from her own wavy red hair. Then, Ayame let her hand drop, and she caressed the shell necklace around Chitose's neck.

"But…" Chitose began hesitantly, reaching up to touch the ribbon and Ayame cut her off with and exaggerated sigh.

"Stop sounding like a woman fussing over her baby," She scolded "Or HoroHoro won't like you!"

"Wh-What's this got to do with him?" Chitose asked, bewildered and defensive, and Ayame grinned when she saw Chitose blush, "The point is, you're sick, and shouldn't overwork…"

Chitose stopped abruptly and drew back in surprise when Ayame reached out to slap her forehead, causing her to almost trip over the same broken floorboard she'd fallen over many times before.

"Just go," Ayame told Chitose, "You're going to be late; Kahori might be waiting for you outside already…"

"_Mum…_"

"Yoko and Yuuhi will be here soon, so everything will be fine… nothing's going to happen," Ayame interrupted Chitose again, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her out, "Have fun; I'll see you later!"

Slightly assured by the fact that her uncle and aunty will be over later, Chitose stepped out, and said reluctantly, "I'll see you later too… Take care!"

As she swung the gate shut and began walking away with Kahori, who had been waiting for her, Chitose couldn't shake off that uneasy feeling within her, especially when she heard another cough from within the house, and told herself to return home as soon as possible.

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Kahori watched as Chitose glanced back worriedly at her house before turning round a corner. "Is aunty Ayame ok?" She asked, stuffing her hands into her jeans pocket. Chitose frowned.

"Mum claims that she's fine, but she was still coughing before I left." She replied, chewing on her lower lip.

Saho appeared beside Kahori, and said timidly, "Would you like me to go see if she's fine?" She offered, "After all, your mother can't see spirits, and I'll be able to alert you immediately if something happens…"

Chitose gave Saho a faint smile, and shook her head gratefully, "It's ok, thanks." She said, "Besides, you'd want to send off Bason and Pai Long…and Morphine…you seem to be rather close to her…"

Saho beamed and nodded. "Morphine's really cute!" She said, and Kahori and Chitose laughed. "By the way," Kahori said, glancing at Chitose, "there's something different about you today…"

"My hair?" Chitose suggested with a grin, straightening her orange sleeveless shirt and Khaki pants, and Kahori nodded immediately, "My mum tied it up just now."

"It suits you," Saho said, "I'm sure HoroHoro will like it!" She added, and Kahori giggled when Chitose blushed.

"What the…What's it got to do with HoroHoro?" She began, looking away, "Well, what about you and Hao, Kahori?"

There was a short pause, and Chitose asked, in a gentler tone, "Did he do something to upset you? Like…flirt with some other girl or something?"

"On the contrary," Kahori said dryly, "I was the one who did something to upset him."

She sighed, and Chitose blinked. "You?" She asked incredulously, "What did you do?"

Knowing that she could count on Chitose to give her advice, Kahori told her all about the call from Minako, the lacrosse national team recruitment, and how Hao had reacted when she told him about it.

"And now I'm so confused," She finished, ruffling her hair in distress as the En Inn came into view, "If I quit the team, he'll blame himself, but if I don't, then…Well… We won't have a lot of time to spend with each other…"

Chitose thought for a moment, then said slowly, "I think the two of you need to talk. Lacrosse is your dream, and you're on your way to achieving it, but on the other hand, there's Hao, someone who wants to support your decisions but at the same time wishes that you can spend more time together…"

"Let's not talk about this now…" Kahori said wearily, pushing the unlocked gate of the En Inn open, "We've reached."

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"They're here!" Yoh called over Ren and HoroHoro's heated arguments, and the living room quietened down a little when Kahori and Chitose walked in.

"Hey look," Matilda told Hao excitedly, "Kahori didn't bring her equipment bag today. Chance, get it? Chance!"

Hao merely smiled back, and slumped onto an armchair, avoiding Kahori's gaze. Pillica elbowed HoroHoro mischeviously.

"Chitose's very cute with her hair up, isn't she?" She asked sweetly, and HoroHoro blushed and looked away.

"What's wrong with you?" Pillica hissed nudging HoroHoro, "Aren't you going to compliment here?"

"When we're alone, ok?" HoroHoro grumbled, crossing his arms huffily, ""I'm not good with stuff like that when there're so many people…"

"Shall we go then?" Jun asked, "To the airport?"

"Yeah," Ren said, looking at his watch, "I told the pilot to reach at 10, and it's already 9.15… Let's go now." He stood up, gripping his Kwan Dao.

"Got everything?" Lyzerg asked Marion, Matilda and Kanna, who nodded. Then, after gathering their hand luggages, they all filed out noisily and took a bus to the airport.

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"Can I… sit here?" HoroHoro asked Chitose as the bus began to make its bumpy journey to the airport. Chitose nodded soundlessly, and HoroHoro slid shyly beside her.

"Err… Is Ayame feeling better?" He asked, and Chitose sighed and shook her head.

"She says she's fine, but she was still coughing just now…And she lost some weight too…" She said, and HoroHoro sat there, looking thoughtful.

"Do you mind if… I visit her later, after we send Ren and the others off?" He asked again, and Chitose smiled, nodding.

"If you have time, sure! I don't mind, and mum would be very pleased." She said cheerfully, and from the corner of her eye, she saw HoroHoro flush slightly.

"Did you know that Kahori and Hao… Things are rather shaky between them…?" She asked, and HoroHoro looked up, surprised.

"They are?" He asked, amused, "What did Hao do now?"

"It's not Hao," Chitose said, stifling her laughter as HoroHoro's jaw dropped, "It's Kahori."

"What the…." HoroHoro stuttered, turning to look at Hao and Kahori, who were sitting two seats behind them, "_Kahori?_" He asked, and Chitose nodded, "What did _she_ do?"

Chitose grinned, and spoke to HoroHoro about what Kahori told her earlier. HoroHoro sighed, and shook his head when Chitose finished.

"Hao's always like that with women, though I never realized how much he really liked Kahori until now… He's fickle, you see." He said, and Chitose grinned. "But," He added, "I don't think Kahori should give up her dream for that guy… He's not worth it."

"But maybe to Kahori, he _is _worth it," Chitose objected, "Have you forgotten? She likes him too."

"Oh, right…" HoroHoro muttered, "Then the decision lies with her still, doesn't it? Whether she wants to stay in the team, or quit, it's her choice, we can't do anything… Both of them need to talk, I guess."

"That's what I told her just now," Chitose said, and HoroHoro grinned, "Let's hope it will all work out between them, I sort of like seeing them together…"

There was a short pause between them, and then HoroHoro dropped his voice and said, "By the way…"

"Yeah?"

"You…You look good with your hair up."

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They were nearing the airport, and yet, _yet_, Kahori thought bitterly, _Hao and I haven't spoken a single word to each other…Not a single, damned word…_

She fidgeted a little, and sniffed; She was catching a cold, Kahori knew, but she didn't care… The wind continued to blow mercilessly through the open window, and she sneezed. Hao leant over, looking slightly annoyed, and shut the window with a slam. Kahori glared, and opened it again. Hao glared back, and shut it once more. Ignoring him, Kahori pushed it open.

"What is wrong with you?" Hao demanded, "You're gonna catch a cold if you don't close the stupid window."

"What is wrong with _you_, then?" Kahori shot back, "It wouldn't matter to you if I caught a wretched cold, would it?"

"_You!_" Hao said, sitting up and pointing a finger angrily at her, then took a deep breath, and slumped back onto his seat, dimly aware that Jun and Ren were staring at them, and Matilda, Marion and Kanna were whispering about them at the back seat.

Wearing a satisfied smirk on her face, Kahori looked out of the window, pointedly ignoring Hao, who was glaring at her.

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"We'll visit again soon, take care," Matilda said to Hao, leaning over to hug him. They were all standing around the gate, ready to board the plane.

"You girls take care too," Hao said, hugging Matilda back and reaching out to ruffle Marion's hair, "Don't smoke too much, Kanna." He added, and Kanna shrugged in return, grinning.

"Help me say hi to my parents." Yoh told Tamao, who nodded, "Take care," Anna added.

"I will," Tamao said, "You two take care too…"

"Time to go," Ren said impatiently, stamping his feet, "The pilot's waiting."

"Aww, you're such an impatient guy, Ren," Matilda said huffily, "Look, Pillica and HoroHoro aren't ready to part yet…"

True enough, Ren saw Pillica clinging onto HoroHoro, who was laughing sheepishly.

"Come on, Pillica, Ren's waiting to take off. He wants to go home already," HoroHoro said, catching Ren's steely stare, "Take care of yourself, I'll visit you when there's a school break, ok?"

"Ok," Pillica sniffled, rubbing her eyes, "You take care too… Write often! And," She dropped her voice, "Take care of Chitose, ok?"

"You idiot," HoroHoro muttered as Pillica hurried over; everyone was already boarding the plane.

"We'll help you locate your sister as soon as we get back, don't worry!" Jun called to Chitose, who was waving and nodding.

"Well, then…" Kahori said when the plane took off, very slowly at first, then with increasing speed, "Shall we go back now?"

"I'm going to visit Ayame," HoroHoro told Yoh, who was yawning, obviously wanting to return to the En Inn for a nap.

"She's still not feeling well?" Anna asked, and Chitose shook her head, "Well, then, Yoh, Hao and I are coming as well."

"Eh? Me?" Yoh asked stupidly, "Ok, then. I don't mind, anyway… I can always take a nap later…"

"I'll drop by too," Kahori offered, and Chitose nodded, drawing out her handphone, which was ringing.

"Hello?" She said, then smiled, "Oh, aunty Yoko? What's wrong?"

HoroHoro, Kahori, Hao, Yoh and Anna stared worriedly at her when her smile was wiped off her face, to be replaced by an expression of fear and horror. Then, without warning, her legs gave way, and Chitose fell on her knees, tears unconsciously falling rapidly onto the marble-paved floor.

"Chitose… What's wrong?" HoroHoro asked, concerned, as Chitose stashed her phone numbly into her pocket.

"Is anything wrong?" Kahori added. Chitose looked up, tears blinding her.

"**_My mum…" _**She whispered, and they bent over to hear her words. "My mum…. _Is dead."_


	9. Chapter 9: Raining Tears

**Hi! I'm back for chapter 9! I hoped you've enjoyed chapter 8… I'm sure you did… (Grin) Still, Chapter 8 was just an appetizer…The real sorrow comes in at this chapter… Thanks for all the reviews… I appreciated it! ade5kira will update by today as well, so check our her story, Destiny, later! Enjoy Chapter 9!**

**Chapter 9: Raining Tears**

Pillica fidgeted uncomfortable in her seat, and, feeling uneasy, she plastered her face onto the window pane, hoping to catch a last glimpse of familiar faces she'd left behind. However, it was impossible, for they have taken off too far… She sighed, and turned back, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Jun asked, catching sight of her expression, "Are you feeling sick?"

"I don't know," Pillica admitted, slumping onto her seat, looking troubled, "I feel as if something just happened…Something big… Something that had caused someone we are close to much pain…"

She blinked; why were there sudden tears in her eyes? Was it because she was starting to miss HoroHoro and the others? Or was it because she didn't want to leave so soon?

_"Matilda!" _

Lyzerg's startled yell sounded from behind, and there was a loud thud as Matilda fell onto the carpeted floor, clutching her stomach, as if in pain. Pillica turned to look at her, and felt her own chest explode with pain… She doubled over, face twisted in agony, and Jun gripped her arm tightly, frightened.

"What's wrong with the both of you?" Tamao squeaked, terrified, and Kanna and Marion rushed up to help Matilda sit up.

"Turn back…" Matilda said in between sobs, "Please… Turn back… Don't ask me why…But something's wrong…"

"What?" Lyzerg began, bewildered, as Pillica nodded frantically.

"Turn back," She whispered, brushing off her perspiration, "Something's wrong…"

"Ren!" Jun said quickly, glancing at Ren, who nodded, then turned to the pilot, and ordered, "Return to the airport now! Hurry!"

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Rain lashed fiercely against the dark, gloomy house, beating upon it cruelly. A loud clap of thunder startled HoroHoro, Yoh, Hao, Kahori, Anna, as well as Yoko and Yuuhi, Chitose's aunty and uncle, who were watching Chitose from the bedroom door.

Having rushed back home immediately after receiving Yoko's call, Chitose had knelt by Ayame's lifeless body, her blue eyes empty, yet filled with so much sorrow and pain. She was dimly aware that her friends, uncle and aunty had all tried calling out to her in soft, pleading voices, tried prying her away from her mother's body, but Chitose didn't budge. She just knelt there, broken, hurt and tired, staring down at Ayame with those horribly blank, deadened eyes.

Kahori, having forgotten her own hurt and anger against Hao, was sobbing quietly in his arms, refusing to look at Ayame's motionless figure, lying, with a serene expression, on the mattress. Yoh's eyes sought Hao, who blinked hard to keep his own tears back, occasionally patting Kahori on the back. When Hao caught Yoh's eyes, though, Yoh merely looked away, using his fringe to hide his face. Anna turned to face the wall; this feeling wasn't new to her, but crying and sobbing openly wasn't something she knew how to do. Keeping a hand clamped firmly on her mouth, she lowered her head, swallowing back occasional chokes that threatened to escape her.

HoroHoro stood the closest to Chitose, and he had the urge to reach out and hold her close, to let her cry on his shoulder; but her expression frightened him, and HoroHoro felt that Chitose was silently pleading for them to all leave the room and let her be alone with her mother's body…

Why, he thought, frustrated and upset, did someone like Ayame, who was sweet, open, motherly, caring and friendly, have to leave so soon? Why did the Heavens above choose to take Ayame, and leave Chitose all alone, unprotected by a mother's love? Is it really that fun to toy with someone's life?

HoroHoro raised a hand, ready to strike at anything he could reach, and, realizing that he was losing control, Yuuhi pulled him firmly back.

"No, HoroHoro" He said steadily, his low, calm voice soothing HoroHoro in almost an instant, "I know how you feel, but wrecking things isn't the solution."

HoroHoro suddenly felt all the fight drain out of him, leaving him worn out; so this was how disbelief and despair felt, he thought numbly, leaves people all weak and hopeless…

Kahori's phone vibrated violently, and brushing her tears hastily away, she flipped open her phone, and said, her voice shaky, "Y-Yes?"

Surprise flooded her when she heard Matilda's desperate voice through the receiver; yet, she felt strangely relieved…

"Macchi," She began, then saw Yoko beckoning her to hand over the phone, "Hold on, Yoko wants to speak to you." She said, and then gave Yoko the phone. Yoko exited the room, and they could hear her breaking the news to Matilda in a low whisper.

"I need to contact some relatives, and then settle some other things necessary for the funeral and the wake…" Yuuhi muttered, and Yoh looked up quickly.

"We'll help," He offered, and Hao nodded in agreement. Anna didn't answer, but turned to face them, her eyes unusually bright.

"That's nice," Yuuhi began, "but I can't possibly ask you all for help…"

"We'd like to do something for Ayame," Kahori said quietly, "You can think of it as a final gift from us for all the nice things she's done for us…Like preparing lunch, for instance."

Preparing lunch… HoroHoro thought it sounded very unreal. Did it really happen? Did they really have lunch with a healthy, cheerful woman just a few days ago?

Yoko came in just then, handing the phone back to Kahori while saying, "Ren got the pilot to turn back. They're rushing over now."

"The children want to help us prepare for the funeral," Yuuhi told Yoko, who smiled gently; HoroHoro finally saw her as a 41 years old woman, weary and drained by the sudden death of her beloved sister, and not as the bubbly, happy and exciting Yoko who acted as if she was only in her early 20s…

"That's sweet," Yoko said, her voice choked with tears, "but how can we possibly trouble you…"

"It's no trouble." Anna said quietly, and after exchanging glances with Yuuhi, Yoko reluctantly nodded her head.

"But HoroHoro," She said, as HoroHoro began to turn to leave the room, after a backward glance at Chitose, "Yuuhi and I would appreciate it if you'd stay her with Chitose."

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As Ren, Jun, Matilda, Pillica, Marion, Kanna, Lyzerg and Tamao neared Chitose's home, sopping wet from the rain, Pai Long caught sight of Saho, Amidamaru, and Elysia at the porch, keeping a look out for signs of the latecomers.

"I see them," Pai Long told Jun, who nodded, and said curtly, "Let's hurry."

"Where's everyone?"

Ren panted upon reaching. "Before that," Lyzerg cut in, "How did Ayame…"

"Severe asthma attack," Amidamaru said grimly, "They couldn't find her asthma inhaler in time, and she collapsed."

"HoroHoro's with Chitose, on the second floor," Saho added, her eyes red and swollen, "and the others are helping around."

"But, how did you all know…?" Amidamaru asked, perplexed.

"It seems like Matilda and Pillica both felt that something was amiss," Kanna said with a shrug, "so we turned back."

Before any more was said, Yuuhi poked his head out, and saw Ren and the others standing around.

"Oh, it's you guys," he said, "Thanks for coming back."

"Don't worry about it," Jun said, waving a hand dismissively, "Thing is, is there anything we can do to help?"

"Thanks for offering," Yuuhi replied gratefully; truth was, there were too many things to be done, and he wasn't very sure if he could manage with Yoko alone, "But I hope Pillica and Ren would go up to where Chitose and HoroHoro are. I believe the two of you are capable enough to look out for them… After all, you're both probably the most worried right now…"

"We'll do that," Ren said curtly, "Besides, that stupid Ainu may do something rash… Let's go, Pillica…"

Pillica and Ren both left hurriedly, unbothered by the fact that they were both drenched. The moment their footsteps faded, Yuuhi let the others in, and began to settle the necessary preparations together.

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"Chi…Chitose…"

Chitose could hear HoroHoro say softly from behind her, but she ignored him. She felt too tired, too drained of energy, to even cry, to even look at him.

"Chitose…" HoroHoro began again, his voice pleading.

"Don't ask me if I'm fine," Chitose thought bitterly, "Don't even tell me to cry, or I'll…"

As if he knew what she was thinking, HoroHoro fell silent, and quietly knelt beside her. "I won't say 'it's fine'," He thought, "and I won't tell you 'I understand' either, because I don't understand the hurt and pain, the grief and fear, you're feeling. But I want to understand; don't shut me out and carry all that burden alone, or you'll hurt yourself…"

There was a quick patter of footsteps, and the door burst open with a loud clatter; HoroHoro looked up to see Ren, who'd pushed open the door, and Pillica, who was peering anxiously over his shoulder.

"Big brother…" Pillica whispered, running over and hugging HoroHoro. Ren shut the door quietly behind him.

"Chitose," Pillica added softly, reaching out to touch her shoulder, "I…We're sorry…"

Ren said nothing, merely looking at HoroHoro, who blinked and looked away, his eyes cold and hard.

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Yoko and Yuuhi took care of the more complicated matters of the funeral, like making schedules and planning the place of the funeral and wake, and placing a death notice in the newspaper; they figured that, since they didn't have many relatives, they needn't prepare too much dishes to serve in the funeral and wake.

To Yoko and Yuuhi's disappointment, the two eldest siblings of the five declined to turn up for the funeral and the wake. Yoko could understand why their oldest brother, Jin, couldn't make it; he had, after all, his own family in Okinawa, and owns a big business which causes him to be busy most of the time, but why didn't Makie, the second oldest, turn up?

The least she could do was show her face, Yoko thought bitterly, but no, she claimed that she was too busy. That ungrateful wretch, to think Ayame was so kind to her when they were children!

Jin sent a wreath, and his oldest daughter, Yura, came down for a visit on the second day. Kahori's parents also sent a wreath, since they were unable to get off work when they received Kahori's call. Tamao and Anna contacted Mikihisa and Keiko, Yoh and Hao's parents, and the disturbed couple rushed down on the third day.

Everyone's concern was Chitose, who, since the first day, hadn't taken a single bite. She continued to kneel by her mother's body, and even when the body was put into a casket, Chitose continued to stay close by.

"What should we do?" Jun whispered, distressed, "If she continues to go without food or drink, she might just faint…"

They were sitting near Chitose, behind the casket, which was place din the living room, while Yoko, Yuuhi, Mikihisa and Keiko sat at the dining room.

"She's looking paler and sicker," Kahori muttered worriedly, and Marion got up, saying softly, "Mari shall get Chitose something to drink."

A step was all she took, and Marion stopped abruptly when she realized that the adults were at the porch, and Yoko could be heard, her voice shrill and angry, "What are you doing here? We don't welcome you!"

Another voice, that of a man, soft and patient, said, "I saw the death notice in the newspaper…Won't you just let me offer incense?"

"Mari…Mari daren't go out…" Marion whispered, retreating fearfully back into the room, frightened by Yoko's harsh answer, "Get lost, Sono!"

Chitose, whose head had been lowered all these while, suddenly looked up upon catching the name Yoko had uttered.

"So…Sono?" She whispered, her pale dry lips moving for the first time in three days, and she staggered up unsteadily.

"Chitose!" HoroHoro cried, alarmed, and stood up in a flash, gripping Chitose's arm in an attempt to support her. Kahori, too, had gotten to her feet, dumbstruck.

"_Uncle Sono…_' She murmured, and Hao stared curiously at her. "Who's he?" He asked as he stood up as well. Lyzerg pulled Matilda and Pillica on their feet as Kahori replied, "That's Chitose's…_father_!"

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"Hush, Yoko" Chitose could hear Yuuhi say warningly as she staggered out, supported by HoroHoro, Kahori and the others right behind, "We don't want to worry that child now that Sono is here…She's had enough to deal with…"

"That child…" Sono repeated, "Is Chitose inside?"

"No one was talking to you, Sono!" Yoko snarled, "Why would you care if she's inside or not?"

That voice…Chitose was sure, it had to be her father…She could still remember, however dimly, how her father Aihara Sono, sounded like…There's just no doubt about it... She swayed unsteadily as a wave of dizziness hit her, and HoroHoro's grip tightened as she desperately tried to run out with those weak legs…His heart ached terribly when he saw the first traces of tears gleaming in Chitose's eyes.

There was a soft thump as Chitose's hand gripped the wooden pillar tightly, panting. Keiko and Mikihisa turned, and Keiko reached out to tap Yuuhi lightly on the shoulder, indicating that the children were out.

Yuuhi and Yoko both turned, and Yoko gave an exasperated sigh, her eyes red and fierce.

It was him all right, HoroHoro recognized the man called Sono because he had saw the picture on the mantelpiece a few days ago…Those large eyes… Chitose had the blue duplicate of his gray ones… With a start, HoroHoro realized that Chitose had broken free of his grip and was now slowly edging towards her father, tears streaking rapidly down her pale face.

"Chitose..." Sono said, reaching out to touch his daughter's face as soon as she was near enough, "You've grown up…"

"Is that all you can say to me?" Chitose whispered, wrenching her father's hand away with unusual strength, "Is 'you've grown up' all you can say to the daughter you've lost contact with for 16 years?"

Her head was spinning, anytime now, she was going to collapse, but she had so many things she wanted to tell her father…She can't collapse now…

"For 16 years," Chitose continued, brushing her tears away angrily, "You've severed all ties with mum and me, and today, _you suddenly appear out of nowhere, and tell your daughter that she's grown up? You're **INHUMAN**_!"

Chitose took a deep breath, panting, her heart throbbing wildly within her. Without thinking, she raised a hand to strike her father. Yuuhi reached out, but HoroHoro got to her first, and pulled her back gently.

"I can't…believe the nerve…you have…" She whispered weakly, her hand falling lifelessly onto her side. HoroHoro thought he saw a glint of hatred in her eyes, but before he knew it, she'd fainted, falling heavily onto him.

"Chi-!" Pillica gasped in horror, and Kahori buried her head into Hao's chest, unable to bring herself to watch on. "Chitose!" Keiko said anxiously, bending down and shaking her gently.

Letting Mikihisa and Keiko take care of the unconscious girl, HoroHoro stood up, glaring unyieldingly at Sono through his bright, red eyes.

"How can you do this…" He said through gritted teeth, his fists clenching tightly, "She's your DAUGHTER, for Goodness' sake!"

His hand trembled, and HoroHoro lunged toward Sono.

"No, you _knucklehead!"_ Ren gasped, leaping out to hold HoroHoro back, "Stop being so impulsive!" He yelled, losing his composure, his angry stare piercing through HoroHoro's equally fierce glare.

"You stay out of this!" HoroHoro growled, shoving Ren aside and stepping up to Sono. Ren crashed onto the wall, and Jun hurried over to help him up.

"You," HoroHoro said, his voice low and dangerous, glaring up at Sono, who was half a head taller than him, "I don't care if you're Chitose's father or not. The fact remains that you've hurt both mother and daughter for 16 years. You don't deserve to have a daughter like Chitose!"

"HoroHoro!" Yoh said warningly, but HoroHoro ignored him, and continued, "So you think now that Ayame's gone, you can come and take the role of a responsible father? Are you up to it? Or do you just want to hurt Chitose even more?"

"You're after the inheritance," Yoko said suddenly, remembering that Ayame had left everything to Chitose in her will, "You know that Ayame had given everything to Chitose..._ that's why_!"

"That's…" Sono began, but Kahori had stepped up, and slapped him on the cheek forcefully.

"Despicable," She spat out, her eyes fierce and her face twisted in disgust, "despicable, despicable, despicable! How can you do this? Do you know how much Chitose had suffered? Now that Ayame is gone, you've decided to come back, to take over, isn't it right? And above all this, you want the inheritance? When you haven't done anything for mother or daughter? _Go to hell_!"

HoroHoro grabbed Kahori roughly by the shoulder, pushing her back, and said to Sono, "Listen carefully. Chitose doesn't need your concern. _I will take care of her_!"

There was a stunned silence, broken by Matilda, Kahori, Pillica and Tamao's sobs, and HoroHoro, after giving Sono a final glare, turned, and carried Chitose, bridal style, back into her own room to rest.

"You heard the boy," Yoko said, her voice hostile and hard, "Now get out of here and don't return again!"

"This is absurd," Sono said incredulously, "You intend to let a child take care of another child?"

"HoroHoro is not a child," Mikihisa said quietly, "At the very least, he's dependable enough to look after Chitose."

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Through the moonlight shining into Chitose's bedroom, HoroHoro bent down, and brushed the tears away from Chitose's eyes softly. Then, without worrying about anything, he leant closer, and brushed his lips gently against Chitose's.

**_"Please…Stay strong…"_**

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The wake was over before everyone knew it, and, after taking the urn to the graveyard, everyone returned to Chitose's home, and took turns to shower.

Worn out by the hassle, Yoko and Yuuhi returned to their own homes immediately, trusting that the children will be fine on their own. Mikihisa and Keiko made Ren, Jun, Marion, Kanna, Matilda, Lyzerg, Pillica and Tamao return with them in Ren's jet plane, and although reluctant, they left, promising to return soon with news of Hotaru.

Because HoroHoro refused to leave Chitose alone in the house filled with past memories of her mother, Hao, Kahori, Yoh and Anna also decided to stay for the night, and while Yoh and Anna returned to the En Inn to fetch their clothes and toiletries, HoroHoro and Chitose went upstairs, leaving Hao and Kahori sitting in the living room, pointedly avoiding each other's gazes.

Kahori stared at Hao, who was glancing out of the window, as if deep in thoughts. Truth was, Kahori had come to a decision after pondering for a long time. Hao hadn't spoken to her since Sono left, and she had begun to feel somewhat lost without him by her side.

"I don't want to regret not spending enough time with you," Kahori thought sadly, looking down at her lap, tears threatening to fall, "I'm afraid you might leave me without saying goodbye, just like how Ayame left Chitose…"

Two spots of hot tears fell onto her lap, and her vision blurred. Before she knew what was happening, a warm hand brushed her tears away gently, and, looking up, Kahori saw Hao squatting beside her, looking concerned, but strangely distant.

"Crying again?" He asked, "Nowadays, everyone seemed to have forgotten how to smile…Especially you…"

Kahori didn't reply, but looked at Hao pleadingly in the eye, searching for warmth and forgiveness.

_She found none_.

**Wow, this has been a long chapter! So how was it? It took me lots of trouble to write this chapter, but I enjoyed it all the same! I hoped you've liked it, and I also hoped that I've conveyed the intended meaning properly… Well, then, see you all in Chapter 10!**


	10. Chapter 10: White Clovers

**Back for chapter 10! It's been quite a short time since updating, but still, I'm so excited, because this chapter is so sweet! I know the couples have been very obvious from the start, but this chapter is where, FINALLY, there are signs of confessions! I know you can't wait; I can't wait either! But first, I have to say thanks to all my previous reviewers! ade5kira will be updating today too, so go check it out! **

**Chapter 10: White Clover**

Chitose sat up on her bed, startling HoroHoro, who had thought she had fallen asleep. He got up from the armchair, and sat on the bed beside her.

"Can't sleep?"

He asked, and through the semi-darkness he saw Chitose nod.

"I closed my eyes for a while," She said softly, her voice weak, "And when I opened them again I thought you were gone, so I sat up."

She ruffled her hair clumsily with a sigh, and added, "You should get some rest too, or you won't be able to concentrate in school tomorrow."

HoroHoro wasn't sure if that meant that he should leave, or stay. Instead, he said quietly, "I'm going to stay here until I know you're feeling better."

There was silence between them, and they sat, avoiding each other's gazes. She was holding something back, a certain emotion, an impulse to do something… And HoroHoro knew it.

"Isn't there…anything I can do for you?" He asked at last, wishing that Chitose would just let out all that she was feeling. "Yes, there is something you can do…" Chitose said softly, unexpectedly. "What is it?" HoroHoro asked, leaning closer to hear her words.

And, without warning, Chitose flung her arms around his waist, startling him.

"Just let me hold you close like this…Just for a while… I'm feeling so lost, so alone…" She sobbed, tears unconsciously falling rapidly, "All sorts of doubts have surfaced into my mind…Will I be able to live alone from now on? Is it possible to stay in this house without my mother? HoroHoro, what should I do?"

Struck dumb by her sudden outburst, HoroHoro could only sit there, staring down at Chitose. He could only listen to her insecurities, her fears, her troubles, but what can he do to help her? After some hesitation, HoroHoro reached out, and, keeping an arm around her, he patted her head with his other hand, saying quietly, "I don't know what else I can do to help except listen and let you cry, so if there's anything you wish to tell me, go on ahead and say it, I'll listen until you feel better."

Sobs were his only reply, and, understanding at once, HoroHoro continued to hold her close, and when she clung onto his shirt, sobbing harder than ever, he bent closer, with a look so tender on his face, and brushed her tears gently away.

"Shall we play hooky tomorrow?" He suggested, and Chitose looked up, her tear-filled eyes wide with surprise, "We'll skip school, and I'll accompany you anywhere you want to go."

"Anywhere I want?" Chitose repeated, sounding choked, but eager, and HoroHoro nodded, helping Chitose sit up properly, "Well then, I want to go to the herb field!"

"Herb field?"

"Yeah, herb field!" Chitose said, nodding enthusiastically, "It's a secret place mum would always take me to whenever we spend time with each other. It's a place filled with wild flowers and pretty herbs, and some, though said to be unable to thrive in places like Japan, can be found there too."

"I didn't know you like plants," HoroHoro said with a grin, relieved that Chitose seemed much happier now.

"Yeah, I do, because mum would teach me all about them when I was younger…" Chitose smiled a little, and HoroHoro listened intently, "There's a white willow tree there too, and we'd compete to see who reached the top first,"

She paused, then laughed a little, "We'd often end up falling off, though, because there isn't enough space for two people to climb up at once."

"Well, if you need energy to climb that tree tomorrow, you'll have to get some rest," HoroHoro told her with a smile, pushing her back onto her bed and drawing the blanket around her, **"**I'll wake you up tomorrow, ok?"

He got up, and smiled at Chitose, who nodded. "You should get some sleep too," she said, and HoroHoro nodded, realizing how tired he was just then.

"Yeah, I'll…I'll leave now, then." He said, turning to go out.

"Leave?" Chitose echoed, sitting up again, "Where are you going?" She blinked, looking slightly confused.

"Huh?" HoroHoro began, "Shouldn't I leave the room so that you can sleep?"

"And _where _are you going to sleep?"

"In the living room, I guess…"

He shrugged and scratched his head sheepishly.

"Stay here," Chitose said, and HoroHoro stared in surprise, "There's a spare mattress and blanket under my bed that you can use."

As HoroHoro wordlessly pulled out the mattress, Chitose thought she saw an embarrassed, but pleased expression on his face.

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It was already 6.30 am in the morning when Hao's handphone alarm woke him up. Groggy and tired, he blinked around, forgetting where he was for a moment, until his hand closed upon another hand.

He looked down, and saw Kahori lying on the sofa, beside him; that's right, they'd both fallen asleep in the living room after barely exchanging a few words. Hao leant closer to her, and said softly, "I'm sorry… I had to hurt you because I wanted you to hate me… That way, I won't get in the way of your dreams…"

"I'm glad; you do love her, after all,"

A voice from the staircase startled Hao, and he drew back, blushing, when he saw Yoh strolling towards him, wearing a white shirt and brown pants.

"I was afraid I won't get to call Kahori sister-in-law," Yoh joked, sitting on an armchair, "But it seems like I was worrying for nothing."

"Shut up," Hao said, scowling; Yoh never saw him so embarrassed because of a girl before, and it amused him, "What's it with sneaking up on people, anyway?"

"I wanted to tell you that HoroHoro and Chitose won't be going to school today," Yoh explained, shrugging casually, "He told me that he will be accompanying Chitose to some herb field or something when I met him upstairs just now."

"So? Are you and Anna going with them?" Hao asked, yawning.

"We figured that since, it will be term break in another 4 more days, there's really no point in attending school anymore… and besides, I thought it would be good to go for an outing again as a group with Chitose… The past few days must have been hard on her."

Hao sighed and shrugged, glancing at Kahori, who was stirring in her sleep. "Besides," Yoh added, and Hao looked up at him, "a herb field seems to be a good place for you and Kahori to start afresh, don't you agree?"

Hao flushed again, and avoided Yoh's knowing gaze. "If we're leaving, shouldn't you go take a bath? I have to use the toilet later, you know, so stop stalling and get your butt into the bath!" He said, and Yoh laughed, understanding Hao's intentions instantly.

"Yeah, I'm going now; wake Kahori up, won't you?" Yoh said, and got up.

The moment he disappeared up the stairs, Hao turned to Kahori, and shook her gently. "Wake up, we're going to the herb field soon…"

Kahori blinked, and gave a small groan, sitting up. "It's time for school already?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. Then, she gasped when she saw Hao.

"W-What are you doing here?" She stuttered, avoiding his gaze. "We're not going to school until term break ends. We're going to a herb field to relax a bit today… So go wash up, we're leaving soon.' Hao replied, getting up.

He turned to leave, afraid that he would betray his own intentions, but it wasn't him that made himself waver; Kahori had gotten up as well, and, pulling his wrist, she turned Hao around, and hugged him.

"I'm not quitting the national team," She said desperately, "But it doesn't mean we won't have time together… I promise, when I don't have trainings, I will spend the entire day with you… the whole day, ok?"

"Why do you feel that you have to make promises to me?" Hao asked, "Do you think that just because we will have lesser time to spend with each other, I will love you any lesser?"

He said it. Hao took a deep breath, calming himself, and Kahori blushed a deep red when she heard his words, and looked up.

"Then… Why were you so cold to me?" She asked timidly.

"It's true, I was upset when you first told me about it, but that was just me being selfish," Hao admitted, looking away, "But, I don't want to stop you from what you want to do… Anyway, I can always walk you home after your training…"

"You sure you want to do that? It's going to take up quite a lot of your time, you know," Kahori said, and Hao grinned, returning her hug, "Of course, it's not like I've got a lot of things to do, anyway…"

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"So where is this herb field you're bringing us to?" Hao asked as Chitose led them towards a deserted path behind her house.

"It's down this stretch of road, behind a fence…" Chitose replied, pointing at a long, sandy path which led to a secluded area, surrounded by a fence, "We'll have to climb over, which is why I suggested wearing pants…"

Anna nodded a little, her hands tucked in the pockets of her baggy three quarters- probably the only pants she owned.

"So, what sort of plants can be found in this herb field?" Kahori asked as they began to make their way down the dusty path.

"All sorts!" Chitose said happily, "The common nettle, scopolia, wild pansy…Oh, and white clovers!"

"White clovers?" HoroHoro echoed, and Chitose nodded, though her expression had changed- Her smile faltered, and a disturbed look came into her eyes.

"The Latin name for the white clover is _Trifolium Repens, _and the grass growing around these plants appears greener as white clovers absorb nitrogen from the air and releases it for the grass roots. They're also mum's favorite flowers because the white clover stands for hard work, good luck, power and promise, the four things she value most." Chitose explained.

"Ayame's favorite flowers? No wonder she looked so sad…" HoroHoro thought.

"White clovers are used to treat rheumatism. Infusion of dried flowers is antiseptic and used externally for treating wounds and burns, or internally for coughs, sore throat and diarrhea," She continued, "And clover tea is considered a good purifier of blood too."

Chitose pointed out some other rare flowers as they neared the herb field, and after explaining about the beefsteak plant that is used to treat colds and stubborn catarrh, she stopped in front of the fence, which looked crooked and dented.

Beyond that was a splash of colors: Blue, purple, white, pink, orange, and many other striking colors that stood up from the dense, green grass. Herbs of different color, size, shape and height met their eyes, striking the teenagers speechless by their beauty.

"No one takes care of these plants anymore after the previous caretaker passed away, so it's slightly overgrown," Chitose said as she threw herself over the tall fence; when she landed on the other side, however, her right ankle gave way, and she fell onto the grass, surprised.

"Ouch," She said, laughing sheepishly as HoroHoro jumped over and helped her up. Kahori and Anna climbed the fence next, supported by Hao and Yoh, who then jumped over without much effort.

The moment they were all safely over the fence, Chitose said, "Before we split up to explore this place, I need to warn you that sometimes, wild horses may be found in this area, but they don't bite, so don't worry…"

She looked around, then pointed at a plant beside Kahori, which was roughly 150cm tall, with pretty leaves spread out widely, the tiny white thread of flowers drooping beneath each leaf, "That is the common nettle. Don't touch it, because it releases formic acid when touched, and it causes swelling, rash, and itching…"

"Sweet," Hao commented warily, pulling Kahori aside, "Let's stay away from that scary thing…"

"Besides that, nothing else is really toxic unless you try to eat it… I must warn you, the only edible things here are the wild strawberries, so don't go plucking anything and putting it into your mouth." Chitose added, looking warningly at Yoh, who had bent down to look at a large black berry of a suspicious looking plant.

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HoroHoro and Chitose wandered away from Hao and Kahori, who were searching for wild strawberries, and Yoh and Anna, who had both made sure that they were some distance away from the common nettle as they sat down in a quiet spot together.

"See that tree there?" Chitose said, pointing ahead of her, where, true enough, a tree stood, its leaves swaying gently as a breeze blew pass, "That's the white willow tree mum and I used to climb."

She hastened her pace, and touched the bark of the tree gently as soon as she was near enough. HoroHoro felt a pang of sadness in his heart when Chitose laid her head against the bark, her eyes closed, relieving every memory of the time she'd spent with her mother in this place.

"Let's compete," He said suddenly, "We'll compete to see who reaches the top faster."

It was an attempt to cheer her up, and Chitose knew, but, she also knew that competing with HoroHoro won't be the same as competing with her mother. So, she shook her head.

"Thank you, but it's ok," She said with a smile, "I'm fine." She wandered away after giving the bark another light pat, and HoroHoro sighed.

Fine? She sure didn't seem fine to HoroHoro, even if she may look it, or she will smile like she meant it.

"Look here," Chitose called, beckoning him over to where she was, squatting amongst a beautiful bloom of white flowers, "These are white clovers."

HoroHoro said nothing, but sat down opposite her. There was a short silence, and Chitose broke it, saying abruptly, "I'm quitting school."

HoroHoro started, and stared at her. "What… Do you know what you are doing?" He asked, and Chitose nodded.

"HoroHoro, I want you to listen to me," She said, and HoroHoro fell silent as she reached out and plucked four stalks of clovers, "This is very important, and significant, so I want you to listen carefully."

Handing him a stalk of flower, Chitose continued, "This stalk will represent hard work. Because after the term break, I will no longer be a student of the school. I will be working in the mechanics' department on alternate days, so I hope that you can work twice as hard for the both of us."

HoroHoro was struck speechless. He never knew Chitose had planned so far ahead.

"The second stalk of flower," Chitose said, handing him the second stalk of clover, which he took, "symbolizes good luck. I wish you the best of luck in everything you attempt. Don't lose faith in yourself, and may you brave through all your difficulties with this flower for companionship."

HoroHoro stared at Chitose, wondering why she was doing this.

"The third stalk is a prayer for power," Chitose continued, keeping eye contact with him while handing him the third clover, "I pray that you will have the power to live up to your dreams, and that someday, you will be able to achieve great things with this power."

She stopped, finally tearing her gaze away to look at the last clover in her hand. "Do you know what this final stalk means?" She asked softly. Unsure, HoroHoro shook his head.

"It's a promise," Chitose told him, gently holding his hand as she handed him the flower.

"What promise?" HoroHoro asked. Chitose's head lowered as she replied, "This last stalk of flower will be a symbol of a promise."

Chitose took a deep breath, and said, "I promise I will never forget the feelings I have for you, that's my promise,"

HoroHoro felt a sudden numbness shoot through his body; that was a confession, and he knew it.

"And now, will you promise me something?" Chitose asked, looking up.

How could HoroHoro refuse, when she looked at him with so much emotions in her eyes? Foolishly, he nodded, only to regret his decision the moment he heard Chitose's words: "Promise me you will bring me to the sea before I depart this world, and that you won't cry when that day comes."

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When they finally reached Chitose's home a few hours later, the teenagers were greeted by two very anxious adults.

"Where have you been?" Yoko half-shrieked at Chitose, "Why didn't you answer your phone?"

Chitose blinked, then pulled her phone out from her pocked. She took one glance at it, then grinned.

"Battery's flat, aunty," She said, and Yuuhi and Yoko exchanged exasperated glances.

"Your form teacher called to inform me that you've quitted school voluntarily, so Yoko and I rushed over. Why did you do that?"

"I didn't see a point in attending school any longer," Chitose said calmly when Kahori, Anna, Hao and Yoh exchanged startled glances, "So I called the school this morning, and opted to work for the mechanics' department instead."

"Chitose, do you know what you are doing?" Yoko asked seriously, "Without a certificate, you…"

"I'm not interested in finding a job better than what the mechanics' department have offered me," Chitose interrupted, "I will work there as long as they want me to. Besides, it's not like they won't pay me or anything, so I think I can manage."

Yoko and Yuuhi sighed and looked at each other helplessly, and HoroHoro stepped out, bowing and saying, "On the day Chitose's father came, I promised to take care of her. Since she's made this decision, I will work even harder, for her sake, as well as mine."

He paused, and then continued, without looking at Chitose, "I intend to bring her to my home in Hokkaido during the school break in order for her to get sufficient rest before she starts work in the school. I hope you won't oppose to our decision."

There wasn't anything they could do to change their mind, and Yoko and Yuuhi were fully aware of that. So, instead of trying to stop them, Yuuhi said, rather reluctantly, "Well, if you think that's best for you, then go ahead. There's no point trying to stop you anyway…"

"We've got to get back to work now," Yoko added, glancing at the time on her watch, "you kids take care of yourself, and please notify us before you leave for Hokkaido!"

The moment the adults left, and Yoh and Anna went to watch television in the living room while Hao and Kahori went to wash the wild strawberries they picked, Chitose tiptoed slightly, and planted a kiss on HoroHoro's cheek.

"Thanks!" She said, grinning impishly, and, with a wave, she ran up to her room, laughing to herself, leaving HoroHoro standing, dumbstruck, in the dining room, his hand still clutching the white clovers Chitose had given him.

**That's all for chapter 10! I hope you liked it, and stay tuned for chapter 11! See ya!**


	11. Chapter 11: Pillica's secret

**CHAPTER 11!!! You're wondering why so soon? Actually… that's just the way it is. (grin) I'm actually having trouble with this chapter when you all think: Since everything is smooth-sailing now, shouldn't it be easier? The answer is no….But still… Chapter 11, people! Thanks for the reviews, and check out ade5kira's Destiny!**

**Chapter 11: Pillica's Secret**

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**

Pillica stood at the entrance of her house, waiting eagerly for her brother and his friends to arrive. When HoroHoro had called her the previous night to inform her of their visit, Pillica had been so excited that she couldn't sleep. With much joy, she'd tossed and turned on the bed, and finally, after convincing herself that she was never going to get any sleep, she'd jumped off her bed with an excited squeal, and awoke her father.

Presently, she leant over the railing in front of her, and caught sight of a shiny, blue van making its way down the narrow path of the hill, and a head was sticking out of the open door on the left side.

"Pillica!" Chitose called happily as the van slowed to a stop in front of Pillica, and Chitose climbed out enthusiastically, only to miss a step and fall flat onto the younger girl.

"Chitose…" Yoko, who had driven them over, took off her sunglasses and glared at her careless niece, who laughed and stood up, helping Pillica up as well.

"Nice way to greet someone you haven't met for a few days," HoroHoro said, amused, as the others climbed out of the van, "Are the both of you alright?"

Pillica watched with a small grin as HoroHoro brushed off some dirt on Chitose's shirt, and Kahori and Hao exchanged amused looks.

"Where's father?" HoroHoro asked when Yoko drove off after wishing them a happy holiday, and Pillica replied, "Back at home, having an early lunch. Although he doesn't show it, he can't wait to see you again, brother."

"Are we welcome too?" Yoh asked cheerfully, and Pillica nodded. "Of course," she said, "Let's go, I bet you're all hungry."

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As HoroHoro stepped past the threshold after Pillica, followed by Chitose, Kahori, Hao, Anna and Yoh, a large, bushy head from the dining table turned, revealing HoroHoro's father's tanned face and long black beard.

Kahori stepped behind Hao, slightly frightened by his fierce appearance, but when HoroHoro moved forward and bowed to his father, the man's face relaxed into a soft expression, and put a big, heavy hand on HoroHoro's head, ruffling his hair.

"It's good to have you back for the holidays," He said gruffly, and HoroHoro smiled a little. "It's good to be back, father." He said, and straightened up.

"Daddy," Pillica said, hopping around her father energetically, "Aren't you going to invite them to join you for lunch?"

"Of course," The older man said at once, beckoning towards Chitose, Kahori, Hao, Yoh and Anna, "Take a seat, all of you. Pillica, bring more dishes from the kitchen."

"I'll help," Chitose said at once, and HoroHoro and Pillica's father shook his gigantic head.

"No, you should take a seat, child," He said in his deep, rumbling voice, "Just leave the work to my daughter."

"Let her go, father," HoroHoro said with a laugh, playfully ruffling Chitose's hair, "She and Pillica have a lot to catch up on."

HoroHoro's father saw a spark in his son's eyes as he watched Chitose walk to the kitchen with Pillica, his gaze never faltering, and decided to keep a close watch over HoroHoro and Chitose during lunch.

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Chitose watched as Pillica skillfully juggled three trays on her two hands without spilling any of the contents. As she bent down to pick up a tray, Chitose heard Pillica say softly, as if to herself, "It would be nice if Ren could join us…"

"Ren?" Chitose echoed, surprised, and Pillica started, flushing a deep red instantly, "You could have invited him, couldn't you?"

"Th-That is," Pillica stammered, her hand quaking uncontrollably, causing the plates on her trays to rattle loudly, "He…He has to attend school in China, doesn't he? So…err… it's not nice to trouble him…"

"Hey, Pillica," Chitose said suddenly, glancing at the other girl with a startled expression, "I just thought of it, and pardon me if I'm wrong, but…are you in love with Ren?"

Pillica gave a sharp gasp, and, forgetting that she was holding on to three trays, she withdrew her hands and clamped them onto her face, horrified. "Ah," Chitose began, "The trays…"

"Oh no!" Pillica yelped, reaching out in vain to grab the trays- They fell onto the floor with a loud crash, the contents spilling onto the floor, and the plates shattered into pieces.

"Ouch!" Chitose cried as her right hand slid across a piece of glass, and Pillica knelt down frantically beside her when she saw blood trickling down Chitose's lower arm.

Footsteps could be heard running towards the kitchen, and in a split second, the sliding door banged open, and HoroHoro ran in anxiously, followed by Hao and Yoh. Kahori, Anna and HoroHoro's father walked in with a shocked expression on their faces.

"Pillica, Chitose, what's…" HoroHoro began, and his eyes widened when he saw Pillica pointing at Chitose's hand, which was bleeding profusely.

"Oh my goodness," Kahori exclaimed, pushing her way in with Anna, as Hao and Yoh gaped soundlessly at the mess in the kitchen, "What happened?"

"I was careless… I dropped the trays by accident, and Chitose cut herself…" Pillica said desperately.

"Save the explanation for later," HoroHoro said hurriedly, "Run for the first aid box, quickly!"

HoroHoro's voice was urgent, and Pillica fled out of the kitchen, terrified. "Are you ok?" He asked Chitose, who nodded, smiling weakly, "I'm ok, don't worry..."

"You're bleeding so much and you're telling me not to worry?" HoroHoro scolded harshly as he helped Chitose up and carried her to the living room, "You're unbelievable, you know? Fancy getting such a deep cut! And you tell me you're fine?"

"We'll help clean the kitchen," Kahori offered, and Anna nodded quietly. "No, it's too dangerous," HoroHoro's father said at once, "What if…"

"It'll be fine if we're with them," Yoh said, pointing at Hao and himself, "So don't worry."

HoroHoro's father nodded, and as soon as the four left, he turned to look at HoroHoro, who had sat Chitose on the sofa and was wiping the blood off her hand. "Is the girl ok?" He asked HoroHoro as Pillica same rushing into the living room, clutching on to a first aid box. HoroHoro nodded, and took the cotton pad with antiseptic cream Pillica held out to him.

"Why are you so careless, Pillica?" HoroHoro asked as he dabbed Chitose's wound lightly with cotton pad, "You should have known better to carry so many trays at once!"

"I'm sorry," Pillica whispered tearfully, and Chitose cut him quietly, "It's not her fault, I didn't see the broken glass."

She winced, and attempted to pull her hand back as HoroHoro started bandaging her arm. "Does it hurt?" HoroHoro asked, startled, and Chitose shook her head, smiling faintly.

"Get the girl something to drink, Pillica," Her father said, trying not to sound too angry, and Pillica nodded, backing away. "If there's infection, you must tell us, girl." He added to Chitose, who nodded.

"You can call me Chitose, uncle," She said, wincing again when HoroHoro tied the bandage firmly together.

No one said anything as they waited for Pillica to come back with the drink, and HoroHoro, knowing that his father had seen through his feelings for Chitose, kept his face hidden as he hurriedly stood up to throw away the soiled tissues and cotton pad.

"HoroHoro," His father said in a low voice as HoroHoro walked past, "Come to my room. I'd like to have a little chat with you."

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"Father,"

HoroHoro walked into his father's room a few minutes later, leaving his friends and sister to have lunch without him, "What did you want to talk about?"

His eyes sought his father's stony expression, worried that he had objections about him going out with Chitose.

"That girl…Chitose,' His father said at last, after a short pause, and HoroHoro's heart sank, "What is your relationship with her?"

HoroHoro bit his lip nervously, and slowly, he said, "Err… She's my… friend…?"

"Friend?" His father said with a suspicious tone, "I don't see those twins rushing to her aid like you did, you know?" He shifted in his seat, eyeing HoroHoro.

HoroHoro took a deep breath. Should he tell his father about his feelings? "What the heck…" He thought, shuffling his feet uncomfortably, "He already knew that I'm not speaking the truth…"

"Speak, HoroHoro," His father ordered, "You are never the type who can hide things from people."

For a fleeting second, HoroHoro thought he saw a trace of anger in his father's eyes, but when he looked again, it was gone, and it took all of HoroHoro's guts to say boldly, "I like Chitose."

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"Where did HoroHoro go to?" Yoh asked as he stuffed some vegetables in his mouth and looked around. "He's in father's room," Pillica said, "HoroHoro said father had something to talk to him about."

"Well, they haven't seen each other for a long time…" Chitose said a matter-of-factly, and at the same time, HoroHoro entered the room, looking slightly relieved.

"What took you so long? Hao almost took your share of lunch." Kahori said, munching on some sweet potatoes, and HoroHoro shrugged.

"It's nothing," He said distractedly, and everyone eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure?" Hao asked, "It sounds weird, but you look somewhat relieved…"

"I told you, it's nothing!" HoroHoro said impatiently, picking up his chopsticks, "Eat your food, stupid flirt, and mind your own business!"

"Is everything really fine?" Chitose whispered as everyone else began talking about what they should do after lunch, and HoroHoro smiled.

"My father asked me about you," he said honestly, keeping his voice down when he saw Anna glancing at them, "And questioned me about our relationship." He grinned when Chitose started.

"It's ok," He told her, amused, "He didn't like it very much at first, when I told him, but he said it was fine as long as we weren't too chummy in front of him."

Chitose started laughing. "Us? Chummy?" She said in a low tone, her eyes dancing merrily, "Your father really doesn't like mushy stuff, does he?"

"He hates them," HoroHoro said with another grin, "So if we ever want to act close, we can't do it in front of him."

Although HoroHoro hid his face behind his bowl of rice as he attempted to gobble it up as quickly as possible, Chitose knew he was embarrassed when he said that. "Like father, like son," She thought with a smile as she reached out for her tea, "But I'm glad… So he does feel the way I feel for him… I was worried for a moment that he treated me nicely because I was like a sister to him…"

After lunch, Pillica and Chitose stood side by side in the kitchen, Pillica washing the dishes, and Chitose wiping them dry. Everyone else was watching some sort of soap opera that Anna particularly enjoyed, and there were heated discussions over which character was stronger amongst the boys.

"So, back to what I was saying," Chitose said cautiously as Pillica handed her a plate, "You do like Ren, don't you?"

Pillica didn't answer for a long time, but her expression gave her away; She blushed dreadfully and looked guilty. Very guilty.

"You know, sometimes, it's ok to tell a person that you like him," Chitose told her, reaching out to put the plates onto the rack neatly, "A simple 'I like you' is enough, you know?"

"But Ren isn't like that," Pillica said with a sigh, "He…He's just different from other boys…"

"Yes, I know,' Chitose agreed, "He's rather cool to me, actually. But, doesn't it hurt to like someone but you're unable to tell him? One-sided affairs are always painful, and it isn't right to hurt yourself like that."

She thought for a moment, then said, "Why don't I get HoroHoro…"

Upon hearing HoroHoro's name, Pillica started, and said quickly, "NO! brother will never allow me to like Ren…"

"But they are actually really good friends," Chitose said, confused, "Why wouldn't HoroHoro…?"

"Chitose, it's ok, but I'd like everything to remain like this," Pillica said, handing Chitose the last of the dishes and washing the soap off her hands, "Although it may seem somewhat lonely like this, I think it will affect my friendship with Ren if I told him."

Chitose nodded, piling up the dishes onto the rack and hanging the towel on a hook beside the sink, "I still don't think it's a good idea, not telling Ren," She said, "But, it's your life, so you should do what you think is best for you."

As Chitose turned to leave the kitchen, Pillica called out, and she turned. Pillica raised a finger onto her own lips and said, "Let this be a secret between the both of us, okay?"

**A short update this time round, with more focus on Pillica… It's a pity; I actually quite like the Ren and Pillica pairing, but it doesn't seem to be possible here… The question is: Will Chitose keep it a secret? Haha! To know that, you'll have to stay tuned for chapter 12! Still, I hoped you've all enjoyed it! Hope to see you again soon! Bye!**


	12. Chapter 12: Siblings

**Back for chapter 12!! Haiz… I'm really annoyed because so much is going to happen in this chapter, but I don't have enough space!!! What should I do… Anyway, thanks for your reviews, people! ade5kira will have updated the moment I did, so check it out!**

**On to chapter 12!**

**Chapter 12: Siblings**

_**England**_

Lyzerg's phone vibrated violently, and, stealing a glance at his homeroom teacher, who was facing the blackboard, Lyzerg answered the call in a whisper.

"Hello?"

"Lyzerg," Ren's voice said from the other end of the receiver, "are you free now? Jun and I have located Hotaru."

"I'm having class now!" Lyzerg whispered, slightly annoyed, "Besides, overseas calls are not very cheap, Ren! Message the information to me, ok?"

"Fine."

Ren sounded annoyed, and relieved that his teacher haven't caught him using his phone, Lyzerg ended the call and stuffed the phone back into his pants pocket. Matilda, who sat behind him, kicked his chair, and Lyzerg saw a questioning look on her face when he turned.

"Ren and Jun have found Hotaru's whereabouts," He whispered loudly to Matilda, who nodded and replied in a louder whisper, "We should tell Mari and Kanna later, then…"

_"MATISSE! DIETHEL!!"_

Their homeroom teacher barked; Matilda and Lyzerg jumped out of their skins, and Lyzerg turned around hastily to face the front, "Go stand outside the class since you both don't seem to want to pay attention! **OUT!"**

Lyzerg bit his lip and stood up, Matilda right behind him.

"_Miserable old bat," _Matilda said bitterly, stuffing her hands huffily into her pockets as she stood outside the class, beside Lyzerg, "We barely whispered! _Whispered! _And she threw us out! Hmph!"

She glanced at Lyzerg, who had taken out his phone. "What are you doing?" She asked, peering curiously over his shoulder.

"Ren messaged me the information on Hotaru," Lyzerg explained, scrolling down the message, "he said that the girl is now studying in Japan, but the foster parents are still in England, so it's up to us to find them."

Matilda nodded eagerly. "Let's get started right away, then!" She said excitedly, "Mari and Kanna are staying over at my place, we can easily sneak out of here and…"

"And we'll get detention if we leave now," Lyzerg interrupted with a frown. Matilda pouted.

"You're such a wet blanket, Lyzerg," She said, kicking a stone on the floor, "I just thought it would be fun…"

She cast a sidelong glance at Lyzerg, who took a look into the class through the window, catching sight of their form teacher, writing on the blackboard again. There was a flicker in his eyes, and Matilda knew that she had almost convinced him.

"Come on," She coaxed, "It's worth it… Let's go…"

Lyzerg took a last glance at their teacher, then sighed, and nodded. "Let's go," He decided reluctantly, "just make sure no one sees us…"

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Kanna pulled open the door of Matilda's house, and stared in surprise when she saw Matilda and Lyzerg panting heavily outside.

"I never knew Lyzerg was the type who would skip classes," She commented as Lyzerg and Matilda pushed past her and flopped onto the sofa tiredly, "What happened?"

Without saying anything, Lyzerg handed Kanna his phone, and she stared at the message shown on it.

"What? You two rushed back because of this?" She asked, amused, as Marion peered over her shoulder to take a better look.

"We…We thought it would be good to find her foster parents as soon as possible," Matilda said, still panting slightly, "So we rushed home. Do you think you can drive us to that address stated in the message? That's where the Hotaru's foster parents live."

"Sure," Kanna said as Marion took the phone from her and stared at the address. Then, she gasped, startling Matilda, Kanna and Lyzerg.

"This address," Marion said, her eyes widening in shock, "Mari knows this address…It's where the Takahashi family lives!!"

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**_Hokkaido_**

Yoh glanced at Anna, who sat at the balcony of their room, staring out at the field where Hao and Kahori is, sitting opposite each other amongst the tall coltsfoot plants. There was a long silence, until Yoh spoke up.

"Would you like to go there?" He asked, beckoning at the field. Anna shook her head.

"I'm tired," She replied flatly, getting up and making her way to where the futon was, "I would like to take a nap…"

She stopped when Yoh grabbed hold of her hand, pulling her back. "What is it?" She asked, not looking at Yoh, her eyebrows raised.

"Let's get married," Yoh said simply, and Anna's head snapped up, looking surprised and shocked, "We've been engaged for too long a time," He added, grabbing hold of her other hand, "It's time, don't you think?"

"No, Yoh," Anna replied after a shocked pause, "We're eighteen… _eighteen_, for goodness' sake, this age is too young…"

"But I don't think it's too young," Yoh said pleasantly, not letting go, "I think it's just right. It would be good to spend more time together as a married couple, don't you think?"

Anna blinked and stared determinedly away, refusing to look at Yoh. What should she do?

"Hey, why not we do this?" Yoh suggested, grinning, "When Hao and Kahori hold a wedding, we'll hold one with them too!"

"As in, like, a double wedding?" Anna asked dryly, and Yoh nodded and laughed, "But I doubt they would wed so early, Kahori is only 16, you know…"

"We'll wait, then," Yoh told her, "Since you think 18 is too young for us to wed, we'll wait till Hao and Kahori are ready."

"And what if they never wed?"

There was a long pause after Anna's question, and although both of them were sure Hao and Kahori would never break up, there was still uncertainty in Anna's eyes, and Yoh squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Then we'll wed without them. Either way, we're going to get married, I promise, so you needn't be too worried, Anna."

"Who said I was worried?"

Anna whacked Yoh lightly on the head, and turned away, a blush rising on her face, "Stay away, I want to take a nap. Just remember to keep your promise, or you'll never hear the end of it."

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Kahori looked around, and spotted the long stretch of road leading down a hill. Hao followed her gaze, and grinned when she smiled at him.

"Aren't you bored, sitting here with me?" Kahori asked, brushing a strand of black fringe off her face, and Hao shrugged.

"What makes you say that?" he asked, not answering her question. Kahori cocked her head to one side thoughtfully.

"You just don't strike me as the sort who would sit down with a girl in a coltsfoot field and enjoy the scenery." She said with a laugh after a short pause. Hao made a face which plainly said, "You don't look like the sort who would sit and enjoy sceneries either, you know."

"When do your trainings start?" He asked, changing the topic abruptly. "When school reopens," Kahori replied, leaning forward to fiddle with a broad leaf of the coltsfoot plant, "Hey, are you really sure you want to walk me back after every training? Won't that waste a lot of your time?"

"Nope," Hao said immediately, "I wouldn't have much to do, anyway. In case you didn't realize, I spend my time loitering around and picking up girls when I'm not hanging around you...I'm sure you won't like that, would you?"

"You know what's going to happen if I catch you," Kahori said warningly, positioning her hands as if she was holding her Crosse, "I'll never let you off." She swung her hands forward, as if swinging her Crosse to shoot, and Hao laughed.

"Scary," He commented teasingly, reaching out to hold her hand, "But you don't have your Crosse now, do you?"

Kahori blushed as Hao leant closer. "Stay away," Kahori said, but Hao ignored her. The tip of their noses touched, and Kahori blushed dreadfully as Hao tilted his head slightly and planted a kiss on her lips.

Kahori had a sudden urge to pummel him, but, as Hao pulled back, she held back the desire to hit him by punching the ground.

"What?" Hao asked, amused, when he saw her punching the ground, "Want to hit me?"

"I don't want to," Kahori retorted, standing up, her fists clenched, "But if you make me…"

Hao laughed, and stood up as well. "Wanna go in now?" He asked, and Kahori nodded. Taking her hand in his, they strolled back, Kahori's face still slightly red.

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Chitose poked her head into HoroHoro's room, and saw him sitting on his futon, staring into space. A silly idea struck her, and, sneaking behind him, she raised her hand, and…

"**Raaarr!!!" **

Chitose yelled, and HoroHoro jumped, and scrambled away, staring wildly around.

"It's you," he said, a hand on his chest, "I got a shock! What's up?"

Chitose laughed and sat down beside him. "I saw you spacing out,' She said, "So I decided to give you a fright. It seems like I succeeded, huh?"

"A fright? I got a _heart attack!!" _HoroHoro said, laughing feebly, "So are you having fun here? Is your wound ok?"

HoroHoro pointed at Chitose's plaster, and she nodded. "It wasn't that big a deal," She said, "But you were panicking, so…"

"I was shocked because the blood didn't stop flowing, that's why…" HoroHoro said, looking away, and Chitose grinned.

"HoroHoro…" She said suddenly, "Did you know that…"

She stopped abruptly, remembering that Pillica told her to keep it a secret. HoroHoro stared at her curiously.

"Know what?"

"…Nothing."

"Are you hiding something from me again?" HoroHoro asked suspiciously, and Chitose shrugged uneasily.

"Don't tell Pillica I told you… But did you know that she liked Ren?"

The look on HoroHoro's face told Chitose the answer. "No?" She guessed, and HoroHoro shook his head, looking grim.

"You're not pleased about this pairing?" Chitose asked, and HoroHoro's face darkened.

"It's not that," He said, his voice low, "I just don't like the idea of handing Pillica over to someone like him."

"But Ren isn't too bad, is he? I think he's just acting tough, and he can actually take care of people if he wants to…" Chitose said thoughtfully, and HoroHoro gave a low growl. Chitose grinned sheepishly, unsure if she should continue since he was in this mood.

HoroHoro's handphone rang, and Chitose, relieved that she needn't say anything else, reached out and handed him the phone. HoroHoro took it, and saw that Matilda was calling.

"Does this hyper bunny think overseas calls are free or something?" He said as he hit the answer button, and Chitose laughed.

"What's up, Matilda?"

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_**England**_

Kanna sped down the deserted road, towards the school, where Hotaru's foster parents, Takahashi Kasumi and Takahashi Shun, were working at. Her thoughts were messed up; Marion had explained, as they got into the car 5 minutes ago, that the people who lived there were Kahori's parents, who were lecturers in Matilda and Lyzerg's school. "What does this mean?" Kanna thought in frustration, "is Kahori the younger sister Chitose have been searching for all these while?"

"Kanna, slow down!" Lyzerg said in alarm as Kanna's car almost whammed into an oncoming truck. Still, Kanna's feet stayed glued firmly onto the acceleration pedal, and Lyzerg sighed in exasperation.

"I don't understand," Matilda said with a frown, gripping Kanna's seat as she leant forward, "Is Kahori Hotaru?"

"Unless the couple has another daughter," Marion said in a small voice, "But all the evidences we have point to Kahori. Besides, according to Chitose, Hotaru is two years younger than her, and Kahori is two years younger."

"We've reached," Kanna said finally, swerving into the school's parking lot. Matilda gulped.

"Err, Lyzerg?" She said, "We just played hooky, and if we're caught…"

"A little too late for regrets, don't you think, Macchi?" Lyzerg interrupted dryly as they got out of the car, "Anyway, since we're already here, we might as well settle things for Kahori and Chitose, then talk about our detention later…"

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The office was empty, and Kanna, giving the door a heavy push, let herself in with Lyzerg, Marion and Matilda. The only two teachers working quietly at the end of the room looked up.

"May we help you?" The woman, who wore glasses, asked, standing up, her big, black eyes blinking at them from her square spectacles.

"We are looking for Mr. Shun Takahashi and his wife. May we know where they are?" Kanna asked before anyone else could say anything. The male teacher glanced at the woman, and stood up as well.

"I'm Takahashi," he said, "And this is my wife, Kasumi," He added, beckoning at the woman with spectacles, "Who are you? And aren't you both supposed to be in class?"

He looked at Matilda and Lyzerg, who exchanged uneasy glances and hid behind Kanna.

"Forget about classes, sir," Matilda said boldly, poking a head out from behind Kanna, "We are friends of Kahori's, and we have a question to ask you both."

When neither of the teachers spoke, Matilda took a deep breath, and asked, "Is Kahori related to you by blood?"

There was a loud slam, and Kasumi's legs gave way; she collapsed onto the floor. The look of shock on their faces confirmed their theory of Kahori being Chitose's younger sister.

"A red jewel," Lyzerg asked quickly, "A red jewel…Kahori should have it… Where is that red jewel?"

"We took it away…" Shun said finally, "Because we didn't want her family to take her away from us, so we took it away…"

"So where is that jewel, dammit?" Kanna asked, slamming her hand forcefully onto a nearby table, "Do you know how long it took for her older sister to find her? How can you just take away the only thing bonding Hotaru to her real family?"

"We still have it, stashed away in a cupboard that we rarely open…" Kasumi said, supporting herself as she stood up shakily.

"Give it back," Kanna ordered, and Kasumi and Shun stared at her, pleading and helpless, "Return Hotaru the red jewel. Do you know that her real mother passed away around a week ago? Aren't you going to tell her the truth yet?"

"We knew," Shun said, "Kahori told us, and we sent a wreath…But we have no intention of letting Kahori go back! She's all we can depend on now!"

"That's too selfish!" Marion said, her soft voice unusually sharp and cutting, "Chitose has suffered enough in order to find Hotaru. And when we've finally found her, you aren't going to let Hotaru return? Mari hates selfish people!!"

"I'll call HoroHoro," Matilda said harshly, pulling out her phone from her skirt pocket, her hands trembling uncontrollably, "I'm going to tell him to tell Chitose about this! And then we'll let Kahori…No, We'll let _Hotaru _decide where she wants to go from here on!"

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HoroHoro's hand went numb in shock, and he knew his face was paling; Chitose stared at him curiously, and her hand gripped his in concern.

"Are you absolutely sure about that?" He asked, trying to keep his voice steady, and his hand tightened around Chitose's unconsciously.

"Are you _joking?_" Matilda shrieked through the receiver, "Kahori's foster parents admitted it themselves! Of course we're sure!"

HoroHoro closed his eyes, trying to let this shocking information sink in. _Kahori is the younger sister Chitose had been looking for… I was right about Kahori looking like the baby Hotaru in the picture…_

"Matilda… I'll….I'll get back to you… This is too incredible…" He said at last, and hung up.

"What's up?" Chitose asked, concerned. HoroHoro shook his head, unsure of how to break the news to her.

**YAY!!!! Finished! At last! Aah… I liked this chappie… I'm sure it didn't shock some people too much, right? Anyway, see you guys in 13! BYE!!!!!**


	13. Chapter 13:Decisions

**Right… I'm back with Chapter 13!! Hmm… thanks for all the reviews for chapter 12!! I hope you enjoyed that last chapter…ade5kira will be updating today too, so check it out! On to chapter 13!!**

**Chapter 13: Decisions**

Chitose stared at HoroHoro worriedly when the grip on her hand tightened. His handphone had slipped onto the floor, but HoroHoro didn't seem to notice.

"What's up?" Chitose asked, "What did Matilda say?"

She placed her other hand on his, frightened by his strangely blank expression, "Is everything fine?"

Without warning, HoroHoro stood up, and pulled Chitose out of the room, his eyes searching for signs of Kahori. They walked into the living room, where Yoh, Anna and Pillica were, and HoroHoro finally saw her coming back from the field with Hao.

"Hey, what's up?" Kahori asked when she saw HoroHoro and Chitose, then stopped when Hao pulled her back gently. She looked up at him, and saw his brown eyes staring suspiciously at HoroHoro.

"What do you want?" Hao asked frostily, knowing that something was wrong, and that something had to do with Kahori. HoroHoro took a deep breath.

"I have to ask Kahori something. Don't look at me like that, it doesn't concern you."

"Don't tell me it doesn't concern me!" Hao snarled, "Just like how Chitose's every little move concern you, everything that has to do with Kahori has to do with me! What do you want with her?"

"Why are the both of you so angry?" Kahori asked in confusion, looking at Chitose, who shook her head, a worried glint in her eyes, indicating that she doesn't know what's going on either.

"Like I said," HoroHoro told Hao harshly, and Yoh, Anna and Pillica turned to stare at them from the sofa, "This isn't something you can interfere with, Hao! In fact, I don't even think I can do anything about it, so bugger off! This is something Kahori and Chitose have to figure out by themselves!"

"What's wrong, HoroHoro?" Yoh asked as he stood up, "It's not really like you to yell at Hao without a reason."

Chitose touched his arm gently. "Yeah, Yoh's right," She said, sounding troubled, "What's wrong? You're behaving weirdly today."

HoroHoro took a good look at Chitose, who was staring up at him, her brows furrowed deeply with worry. He didn't mean to make her worry, but he didn't know how to tell her the news either. Tearing his gaze away from Chitose, HoroHoro turned to Kahori, and gave her a long, hard look. Hao glared at him.

"Brother, what happened?" Pillica asked. HoroHoro turned away, and said in a low voice, "Matilda called to tell me that she's found Hotaru."

There was a stunned silence, and Chitose stared at the ground, her eyes wide with shock.

"What's that got to do with Kahori?" Hao asked irritably. HoroHoro glanced up at him in exasperation when Chitose stared at Kahori, dumbstruck, and Yoh and Anna exchanged startled glances. Even Pillica seemed to understand why HoroHoro was so agitated.

"Don't you get it, Hao?" She whispered, her hands cupping her mouth lightly, "Kahori is…"

"Kahori, don't you remember anything at all?" HoroHoro asked. Kahori shook her head frantically, her eyes squeezed shut, her hands cupped around her ears. She bent over slightly, as if in pain.

She was trying to remember, trying to remember when she had ever lived with Ayame and Chitose, and when she was given away. But nothing came to her. Kahori's mind was in a whirl; she felt giddy, and all the energy was slowly draining out of her body.

"What else did Matilda say?" She asked weakly as Hao clutched her arms and helped her stand up straight.

"They're trying to get the red jewel back from your foster parents, I believe," HoroHoro said stiffly, "The problem is, what are we going to do now?"

Chitose stared at Kahori, who was having great trouble trying to accept the fact that she was adopted. "Kahori needs to rest," She said finally, "And I need some time alone as well. We'll talk about this later on."

HoroHoro stared worriedly at Chitose as she walked out to the coltsfoot field, and Hao turned and helped Kahori back into the room. "Let's call Matilda," Yoh suggested after a while of silence, "We need to find out the full story from her."

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Chitose took in a deep breath, and slumped against a tree trunk, a hand placed on her forehead. She sighed, and slammed a fist against the trunk.

Why hadn't she realized that Kahori was Hotaru before? Now that the truth was out, Chitose felt so foolish. Her real sister was right beside her all this while, and she didn't realize it? Sure, Chitose definitely felt that she was able to open up a lot more to Kahori when they first met in school, and although she knew that was weird, she never thought much about it.

Now that she thought about it, though, it all fits. Ayame once told Chitose that after Hotaru was given away, that family left for England, and they lost contact. The last time Ayame heard any news of Hotaru was that she was back in Japan, though which part of Japan she was in was unknown

"How silly," Chitose thought, letting her hair whip fiercely around as a gust of wind blew past, "letting my guard down just because her foster parents changed her name to Kahori… Why didn't I think of it before? I wonder if mum knew that Kahori was Hotaru."

She sighed again, and then stood up properly. It was up to Kahori to decide what she wants now. The decision lies with her, not Chitose.

"This is Kahori we're talking about, after all," Chitose told herself as she made her way back slowly, "knowing how filial she is, she might not be able to leave her foster family so easily…"

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Kahori gave a frustrated growl and ruffled her hair. Hao sat beside her, unsure of what to say. Finally, Kahori slumped back onto the bed tiredly.

"I can't remember anything at all, no matter how hard I try to," She muttered, as if she was talking to herself, "It's so frustrating…"

"Don't push it," Hao said gently, "take your time. Chitose isn't hurrying you, anyway."

"It feels so unreal now," Kahori said, using her arm to cover her eyes, "those times I've spent with Chitose as a friend, I mean. And those times I've spent with my family before I came over… Everything feels wrong. 'I shouldn't be there in England in the first place', 'I should have been with Chitose'… All these thoughts come into my mind now that I know that I'm not the real daughter of…well, my foster parents."

"Does it hurt?" Hao asked quietly, and a small smile formed on Kahori's lips.

"No," She said, "In fact, somehow, I feel relieved to know that Chitose is my sister, and Ayame is my real mother. I don't know why; it's not that my foster parents mistreated me in the past. It's just that…I didn't feel that I had a bond with them at all. True, they loved me, they cared for me, and they wanted the best of everything that concerned me. But… We never had a meal as a family before, and I never got the chance to sit and have a talk with them in my life."

She paused, then continued, "When I'm with Chitose, however, I find my self thinking 'if only she is my sister. We would get along so well, I'm sure of that.'. And when I had meals over at Chitose's house, Ayame would always be there with us, chatting and joking with the both of us, and I would think 'if only I am part of their family', because even though Chitose's father wasn't there, there was the aura of a happy, complete family in that place. And when Chitose told me about her younger sister, I thought to myself, 'maybe I can become her younger sister after all.', and that maybe I _am _Hotaru. Surprise, my wish came true."

"Hey," Hao said suddenly, "do you think Ayame knew that you are her real daughter?"

Kahori removed her hand from her eyes, and stared at Hao with a soft smile. "Yes, I guess so," she said, "either that, or she felt she had to treat me like a part of the family because I remind her of Hotaru."

"So what are you going to do now?" Hao asked, and Kahori shrugged. "I'm going to find Chitose, and we'll confront my foster parents together. Then, we'll come back to Japan, find our real father and go to mother's grave together."

"Sono?" Hao asked, startled, "Why would you want to find someone like him for?"

"Whatever it is,' Kahori said as she stood up and walked towards the door, "He is my real father. I ought to acknowledge him too, shouldn't I? And I think Chitose and I ought to tell Yoko and Yuuhi about this too."

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Ren looked around impatiently. Having received call from Pillica, telling him that Kahori was actually Chitose's real sister, and that they were planning to fly to England to find Kahori's foster parents, Ren had offered to follow them and ordered a pilot to send a plane down to Hokkaido immediately. Now, he stood at the airport with Jun, waiting for everyone.

"Hey, Ren," Jun asked nervously, "do we call her Kahori, or Hotaru afterwards?"

Ren growled. He hasn't thought about that. "Just call her what the others call her, I doubt she would mind that much."

"But it's such a surprise, isn't it?" Jun asked cheerfully, "to think that Kahori is Chitose's real sister!"

Ren shrugged, and saw HoroHoro, Yoh, Anna, Hao, Pillica, Chitose and Kahori walking over just then.

"Rather punctual, aren't you?" Yoh said with his trademark grin, but Ren wasn't listening; he stared at Chitose and Kahori, who were as close as ever, just as if nothing had happened.

"What's with them?" He said under his breath as they all walked into the plane. Hao heard him, and grinned.

"Were you expecting them to be all awkward with each other?" He asked, and Ren nodded as Jun asked the pilot to hurry, "Well, they _are_ sisters, after all. They can't stay awkward with each other forever."

"Or you can say both girls are very ready to accept each other," HoroHoro agreed, "they were somewhat shaken, but they adapted very quickly… I guess that's a good thing…"

"Let's see if it will be a good thing if Chitose and Kahori come face to face with their foster parents." Ren muttered.

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Several hours have passed, and when they finally arrived in the school Matilda and Lyzerg studied in, it was already next morning. Yet, Kanna's car was parked in the school parking lot, which meant that Matilda, Lyzerg, Kanna and Marion had returned together to confront the teachers again.

"The office is somewhere here," Kahori said breathlessly as she ran down the second floor walkway, Chitose and the others right behind, "There it is!"

She pointed ahead, where a beige colored door was, and voices, loud voices, were issuing from within.

"Kanna," HoroHoro told Hao, who nodded when they heard Kanna's familiar voice saying, "You promised to bring us the red jewel, so where is it?"

Kahori pushed the door open wildly, and Matilda, Kanna, Lyzerg and Marion turned. Kasumi and Shun stared at each other in exasperation when they saw Kahori and her friends.

Not knowing what to call them anymore, Kahori only stepped up, and held her hand out.

"The jewel," She said, her voice choked, "Where is the jewel?"

"Kahori, what are you going to do with it?" Shun asked as Kasumi turned away to brush her tears away.

"The jewel belonged to my mother," Kahori said, not harshly, "and besides wanting to piece back all three fragments of it together, I want to use it to regain my memory. The memory which I lost whenever I used the powers of the jewel to help people."

"Your mother?" Shun asked incredulously as Kasumi sobbed, "This woman is your mother!" He pointed at Kasumi. Kahori shook her head.

"I'm sorry," She said, looking away, "It's not that I don't appreciate what you have done for me all these years. But while I was leading a good life here, my sister and mother were working hard to support themselves. And my sister had searched for me for a very long time."

Here, Kahori took hold of Chitose's hand, and Chitose stared at her, surprised, "I owe her too much. Now that my mother is dead, it's up to the both of us to survive on our own. I'm really sorry."

Kasumi was crying too hard to say anything, and the look on Shun's face was murderous. Foreseeing what was going to happen next, Hao positioned himself beside Kahori, and when Shun raised a hand to strike Kahori, he blocked it with a hand.

"You can't blame Kahori," He said calmly, "It's true you've both raised her to be who she is now, but Chitose needs her. They are sisters. You can't take care of one and leave the other to survive by herself. That's not very fair."

Shun and Kasumi knew they were fighting for a lost cause, so, after a long pause, Kasumi put a shaky hand into her handbag, and withdrew a fragment of the Emblem Jewel from it.

"Take it," She said, handing it out to Kahori while drying her tears with the other hand, "and take good care of yourself."

Kahori took the jewel, and leaned over to hug Kasumi. "Thank you," she whispered, "and sorry. You must take care too."

And, turning her back from her foster parents forever, Kahori lowered her head and took Chitose's hand in her right hand and Hao's in her left, and walked out of the office without turning for a last glance at her foster parents.

Yet, even while she was happy to be free, to be reunited with her sister once more, silent tears streamed down her pale face.

**Yep! Chapter 13 ends here! I've planned out the remaining storyline already, and I'm sad to announce that there will only be 15 chapters to this story. This leaves 2 more chapters to update!! I hope you've enjoyed chapter 13! I'll see you all again in chapter 14!**

**PS: I've decided to post up Chitose's and Kahori's pictures. I drew them but they aren't very well done, so pardon me… Thanks to ade5kira for scanning the pictures for me! The pictures will be on the homepage I share with ade5kira, so check it out! There will also be drawings of my next few upcoming OCs...Jewel (for Lyzerg OC) is up, and Su (for Ren OC) will be up by next week!**


	14. Chapter 14: Eternal Farewell

**Second last chapter!!! Yep! Hmm… Thanks for your reviews, guys! You've made me super happy. (Grins) I hope the ending will be appropriate for all of you… I wonder how everyone will react by the time they finished this chapter… ade5kira knows what is going to happen, of course, since she was the one who helped me… Whatever it is, enjoy this chapter!!**

**Chapter 14: Eternal Farewell**

Chitose sneaked into her own room and shut the door quietly, blocking out Yoko and Yuuhi's conversation with Kahori, and Matilda's shriek of delight when Lyzerg showed her something. After returning from England with everyone, including Pillica, Marion, Kanna, Matilda, Lyzerg, Jun and Ren, they had spent the past few weeks in Chitose's house.

School was starting in another two days, but somehow, Chitose knew, like she always had known, that it might be almost impossible to see anyone from the mechanics' department again. She was glad that Yuuhi and Yoko accepted Kahori so readily; there wasn't anything else she regretted not doing now.

Chitose sat down at her study table, and picked up her diary as a hummingbird flew onto the tree outside her window and stared at her. "The beach," she thought as she began to write on a fresh page, "I will ask HoroHoro to bring me to the beach tomorrow…"

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HoroHoro grinned as he watched Yuuhi and Yoko speak to Kahori and Hao. Life had never been better than it is now. Chitose found her sister, who turned out to be her best friend, Kahori, and Kahori, in turn, got her memory back with the help of the Emblem Jewel, and is now happy with Hao. To make things better, even Yoko and Yuuhi had acknowledged Kahori to be their youngest niece.

"Where's Chitose?" Yoh asked HoroHoro, coming out from the kitchen and handing him a drink, "wasn't she here a minute ago?"

"She said she was feeling tired, so she went up to rest," HoroHoro replied, "I'll go check on her later on."

"Not bad, brother," Pillica teased, "Quite a smooth progress, huh? And I thought you were dense!"

"I am NOT dense," HoroHoro growled, and everyone laughed, "But," he added, stealing a glance at the spiral staircases, "I don't feel very at ease. I feel that Chitose's acting rather weird."

"She is?" Jun asked puzzled, and Marion, Kanna and Matilda exchanged surprised looks, "I think she's still the same as always. Or maybe it's because everything is going her way now, which is why everything seems weird."

"That child," Yuuhi said, sounding troubled, and everyone stared at him, "She says the queerest things."

"Chitose?" Kahori asked, "What do you mean?"

"When she was younger, she would frequently go to the herb field alone when her mum is at work, and when Yuuhi and I go to find her, she will say things like 'if only I can stay this way forever and ever'… something like that."Yoko said.

"When I brought her to the beach when she was around 6, she said to me, 'Uncle Yuuhi, if I were to die, I would like to die somewhere near water'. I freaked out," Yuuhi added, shaking his head, 'after that, I never dared to bring her to the beach anymore."

"She said that to me too," HoroHoro said quietly, "When we went to the beach after we first met, she told me that she would like to die at the ocean too. And, that time when we went to the herb field too…"

HoroHoro stopped, and took a shaky breath, "She made me promise that I will bring her to the sea before she departs this world."

"She thinks a lot about the future," Yoko said as everyone sat in silence, shocked by what HoroHoro had told them, "She once told me that she knows that she won't live beyond eighteen."

"What?" Hao asked incredulously, and Pillica gasped, "Eighteen? Isn't it this year?"

"She told me that too," HoroHoro said uneasily, "although she didn't specifically say the age…"

"What is she thinking?" Matilda asked, horrified, and Marion shook her head, troubled.

"Mari is afraid that she might do something foolish…" she whispered, clutching Chuck tightly. HoroHoro stood up. "I'm going to check on her." He said, and ran up the spiral stairs twice at a time.

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"Chitose?" HoroHoro said, knocking on the door. There wasn't any answer, and he started to panic. What's going on inside?

"I'm coming in, ok?" He said quickly, and slowly pushed open the door. The light was on, and HoroHoro saw Chitose head resting on the study table. Startled, he shut the door, and hurried over.

"Sleeping?" He thought when he saw that Chitose eyes were closed, and her body moved gently as she breathed. Relieved, he reached out to push a strand of hair off her face.

"Stupid girl," He thought with a chuckle, "You're going to get a backache if you sleep like that…"

Gently pulling her up, HoroHoro carried her off the chair, and laid her onto the bed and drew the blankets around her. Chitose stirred slightly, but did not wake up, and HoroHoro smiled and walked back to her desk to turn off the lights. Instead, Chitose's diary, which was opened, caught his eye.

He didn't mean to read it, but the words were blurred and blotted, making HoroHoro feel sure that she had cried. Quietly picking it up, he read to himself the following words:

_6th November  
__A child's cry, a hummingbird's song  
__I'm still listening, but not for long.  
__Like a dream, slowly fading;  
__Soon, I will be forgotten.  
__But till then, let me live,  
__However short, in your memories.  
__And when the clovers bloom once more,  
__Recall the times we've spent together.  
__When they have withered,  
__Forget.  
__Surrounded by clovers, I will pray,  
__That you'll live,  
__Till your hair turns gray._

"A poem?" HoroHoro thought, glancing at Chitose, who was still sleeping soundly, "Why would she write something like that?"

Much against his will, he flipped one page back, and saw another poem.

_4th November  
__Walk your path without regrets  
__And when the sun sets, I'll be waiting at the end of the road,  
__To welcome you, just like before.  
__Then, may we smile at each other  
__And watch the breaking of dawn  
__With those memories  
__Once again._

"What the…" HoroHoro thought, "What is she thinking…" Through with reading Chitose's diary, he shook his head, and closed the book. As he leant over to put it down on the table again, however, he saw that words were carved onto a piece of metal stuck onto her pen holder.

_Aihara Chitose  
__Painless death, watery grave  
__With much regrets, here I lay;  
__Battered body, tattered soul,  
__Amidst the flowers, amidst the snow.  
__Tearless sorrow, anguished heart;  
__An everlasting love, torn apart.  
__Broken promises, severed ties,  
__A wedding flower, shriveled up._

Something stirred within HoroHoro's heart when he read the verses, and he swallowed. Quietly, without turning off the lights, he squatted down beside Chitose's bed, and whispered as he stroked her hair, "Why do those poems you've written speak of death? It's the same ever since I've known you… Is there something you aren't telling me?"

Then, grabbing a pen and a piece of post-it paper from her desk, HoroHoro quickly scribbled down the words carved onto the metal piece, and, turning off the lights, he left the room, and clambered downstairs.

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"An epitaph?" Yuuhi said blankly when HoroHoro showed them the paper. "Where did you get that from, anyway?" he added when Yoko took a good look at the words he'd written.

"I found those words carved onto Chitose's pen holder," HoroHoro replied grimly, and Yoko's jaw dropped, "Why would she have something like that on a pen holder?" She exclaimed, handing the paper to Kahori.

"I thought you guys would know," HoroHoro said, sitting back onto the couch, "Guess I was wrong."

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"HoroHoro?" Chitose said the next morning when she walked into the kitchen and saw HoroHoro drinking water.

"Morning," HoroHoro replied, smiling, slightly uneasily, because he was still unable to shake out what he had seen in her room yesterday, "You were sleeping on your desk, so I carried you to the bed yesterday night."

"I figured as much," Chitose said cheerfully, "I thought I heard someone come in. So it was you."

There was silence, and HoroHoro didn't know if he should tell her that he saw her diary entry. But, before he could come to a decision, Chitose said, "HoroHoro, accompany me to the beach today."

"What?" HoroHoro asked, surprised, "Aren't you supposed to go find your father with Kahori today at the address Yuuhi provided?"

"We're going in the afternoon," Chitose said, "So I was thinking, why not let's go to the beach together first? Besides, you promised me over those clovers that you would bring me."

HoroHoro felt a sour feeling within him. "But…" he stuttered, "But that was… a promise to bring you there before you depart this world…You aren't going to depart anytime soon, so…"

"I am going to depart soon," Chitose disagreed, looking up and smiling, her face pleasant, "I know it. So I want to go to somewhere near the sea. Bring me there, ok?"

HoroHoro was at a loss for words, and Chitose leaned casually against the cupboard, still smiling slightly, looking thoughtful.

"You saw the words carved onto my pen holder yesterday, right? You should have seen it, since the pen holder is near the light switches."

Seeing no point in lying, HoroHoro nodded. "I saw them." He said quietly.

"Well, then," Chitose said, reaching out to grab his hand, "do me one more favor."

"No," HoroHoro said quickly, "I'm not going to promise you anything unless you tell me what it is first."

Chitose stared at him, and HoroHoro's hand tightened around her bony ones. "I just don't want to regret promising you anything I can't achieve."

"You can achieve this," Chitose told him quietly when HoroHoro grabbed her into a hug, "All you have to do is to copy those words on my pen holder, and use it in my epitaph."

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Kahori stood with Hao and the others, watching worriedly as Chitose took off her shoes and stepped into the cold waters.

"Is bringing her to the beach a good idea?" She whispered to Hao, "You heard what Yuuhi said yesterday, she might do something stupid."

"If she does," Hao told Kahori, squeezing her hand reassuringly, "then we'll stop her. There're so many of us, we can do it."

They continued to watch in silence, as HoroHoro waded into the water beside Chitose, and the pair of them stood and stared out at the vast sea.

"It's a wide, wide world out there, isn't it…?" Chitose said, and HoroHoro saw a wistful look on her face, "It would be great if I had the opportunity to travel around the world!"

"You will have the chance to," HoroHoro said firmly, but Chitose shook her head. "It's no longer possible," She said, a small, sad smile playing on her face, "Thank you, though."

She turned, and slowly made her way back to shore, "I'm satisfied just being able to spend time alone with you like this," She added cheerfully, "Let's go now, or we'll never find my father."

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"Is this the place he's working at?"

Kahori asked a few hours later. They were standing in front of a newly-built garage, and no one was in sight.

"I guess so," Chitose said slowly, "Uncle Yuuhi can't possibly have given us a wrong address…So father works as a mechanic too?"

Yoh caught sight of Sono just then, coming out of a room with a spanner in hand. "Is that uncle Sono?" He asked, pointing at that man, and Chitose and Kahori turned.

"Yeah, it's him, all right." HoroHoro said under his breath when he recognized the man whom Chitose resembled.

Sono had bent down in front of a bike to observe its tire, and Chitose and Kahori saw him massaging his back tiredly.

"Do this day in and day out, and soon you'll find that you're ageing before time," Chitose said stiffly when they were near enough, and Sono looked up, surprised to see his daughter standing before him, her arms crossed, her expression stony.

"How did you know I worked here?" He asked, standing up heavily. "Don't worry," Chitose said, "I'm not here to create trouble, I'm not that heartless. I just came to tell you that we've found Hotaru."

"Your younger sister?" Sono asked eagerly, his eyes wide, "So where is she?"

Chitose nodded at Kahori, who bowed sheepishly. Sono's jaw dropped. The girl who slapped him when he attended the funeral…?

"I'm sorry, I'm terribly sorry," Kahori said when she saw Sono's expression, "I really didn't know…"

The next thing she knew, Sono had put a hand on her head, and said with a kind smile, "It's good to see you again."

"Tsk, is that all you can say?" Chitose asked irritably, although her eyes betrayed her tone of voice; there was satisfaction in them, and HoroHoro knew that, although Chitose sounded angry, she was rather pleased that Sono had acknowledged Kahori as well.

"Well, that's all, you've acknowledged her, so we're leaving right now…"

"Why don't you stay a while longer?" Sono interrupted Chitose, who looked at him, "You have been very interested in mechanics since young, and I'm sure you still are… Would you like to come in and take a look at the workplace?"

Chitose bit her lip, and looked away. Kahori nudged her. "Come on," she urged, "Give him a chance!"

Grudgingly, Chitose nodded, and Sono led them in. "You guys take a seat," Chitose said the moment they entered he workshop, where several other workers were as well, "I'm going to take a stroll around here."

"That mechanic freak," HoroHoro said with a laugh as Chitose began to peer around curiously and fiddle with some things, "She really can't stop herself, can she?"

"Chitose, be very careful!" Sono called as he poured tea for everyone, "There are chemicals that will cause radiation poisoning…"

"Got it…" Chitose said, half-listening; she was attempting to twist a screw that had unscrewed from a drawer.

"_What are you doing?"_ Sono asked.

Chitose held up a screwdriver and grinned. "Screw's loose, so I tightened it, or it'll be dangerous if it drops on someone's feet." She said.

Everyone turned their attention back onto Sono, and for a long time, no one knew where Chitose had disappeared to until one of the workers ran out from the back of the other workshop, and said to Sono, "That young girl walking around… is that your daughter?"

"Yes, what's wrong?" Sono asked, standing up.

"One of our workers made a mistake with the chemicals, and the second workshop is currently under high exposure of radiation! Your daughter is in there! We must hurry and get the other workers out as well, or they might die of radiation poisoning!" The worker replied urgently. HoroHoro felt the cup slip out of his hand, and as it crashed onto the floor, spilling its contents everywhere, he stood up, his chair toppling backwards.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Sono exclaimed irritably, hurrying away, "You kids," he added to HoroHoro and the others, "leave this workshop immediately and wait outside while I bring Chitose out! And DO NOT attempt to come in, or you might die!"

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"HoroHoro, you _mustn't!"_ Kanna said impatiently as she grabbed the boy by his collar, holding him back as he tried to run into the workshop.

"You heard Sono," Lyzerg said seriously, "it's dangerous!"

"Chitose is inside," HoroHoro yelled back furiously, slapping Kanna's hand away, "She's inside, and you want me to _wait…. _That's not going to happen!"

Again, HoroHoro took a step towards the workshop, only to receive a slap from Anna.

"Enough of your nonsense," She said, her eyes showing unusual signs of anger, "if you truly love her, stay here and wait for uncle Sono to come out! How do you think she would feel if something happened to you because of her?"

"That's right," Matilda said, looking into the workshop, "however worried we are, we can only leave it to uncle Sono and his colleagues…"

"Besides," Jun added when Ren stamped his feet impatiently, and Hao and Kahori craning their necks to search for signs of Chitose and Sono, "Chitose knows the dangers of radiation poisoning, so she'll definitely try to save herself."

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"Chitose?"

Sono called through the mask on his face, pushing past other workers who were frantically running to the exit, "Chitose!"

"I got the girl here, Sono!"

The worker who had ran out to tell Sono the news yelled from behind him, and Sono turned to see him clutching Chitose by the waist, her body limp and still.

"Thanks, now get out, quick!" Sono ordered the worker the moment he handed Chitose to Sono, and they too, hurried out of the workshop.

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"Mari can see uncle Sono and…" Marion stopped, her eager voice faltering when she saw Sono rip off the mask from his face and threw it onto the ground with his free hand. Chitose was lying on his back, unconscious, her arms hanging limply off his shoulders.

"Chitose!" Kahori cried when Sono laid Chitose down on the ground, and everyone crowded in. Elysia hopped beside Chitose, its head cocked to one side. Saho, Amidamaru and the other spirits, including Morphine and Kororo, all appeared.

"Don't touch her," Sono said breathlessly when HoroHoro reached out, "someone, call the ambulance, and don't touch her, all of you, or you'll be affected as well."

"How high was the exposure, Sono?" Jun asked.

"If I'm not wrong, 8SV,which is equivalent to 800REM (Roentgen Equivalent in Man)." Sono replied, lowering his head so that his face was hidden.

"And is that fatal?" HoroHoro asked in a low voice. Sono didn't reply, but when he looked up, everyone knew the answer: It _was _fatal, more fatal than what anyone can imagine, and, from the look of despair on Sono's face, HoroHoro knew that Chitose was right.

_She might not live past eighteen._

**I've finished the second last chapter. So how was it? I'll bet all you Chitose lovers hate me now. Honestly, I'm rather hesitant about this now… I actually like Chitose more than anyone in Miracles…But well… also, check out ade5kira's fic, Destiny as well!**

**Stay tuned for the Final Chapter; it will be up by this week!**


	15. Chapter 15: Miracles

**Are you ready for the final chapter? (Grins) I can't wait to post this up. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and have fun reading this! Oh, and ade5kira will be updating today too! Check it out!**

**Chapter 15: Miracles**

Jun shook her head and patted HoroHoro on the shoulder lightly as doctors and nurses rushed past them, streaming into the operation room where Chitose was. The ambulance had arrived 15 minutes after Pillica called, and now, they were in the hospital, outside the operation room, waiting for news of Chitose.

HoroHoro was slumped onto the wall, his eyes closed, his brows furrowed. Sono too, was looking terribly worried; he paced up and down continuously, making everyone more nervous than they already were.

"She'll make it, right?" Kahori whispered to Hao, her eyes tear-filled, and Hao nodded, pushing her head onto his chest comfortingly.

"Of course she will," He said quietly, "It'll be fine."

"Lyzerg," Matilda said from beside Marion, and Lyzerg looked up distractedly. "Yeah? What is it?" He asked.

"Radiation poisoning… What does it mean?" Matilda asked. Lyzerg thought for a moment, then said, "It's a form of damage to organ tissue due to excessive exposure to ionizing radiation, and to be honest, I don't think there is any effective treatment for it."

"The treatment used for radiation poisoning is designed to support the human body, thus keeping it alive to recover through self repair process," Sono said, slapping his face with both hands as he spoke, "so Lyzerg is right, there isn't any effective treatment for it."

At the very same time, one of the doctors in the operation room came out, and glanced at them.

"Are you all the family of Aihara Chitose?" he asked, and Sono, Kahori and HoroHoro hurried over at once.

"We are," Kahori said quickly, "What is it?"

"The thing is, the patient's bone marrow is nearly destroyed, and her gastric and intestinal tissues are severely damaged. She will need a bone marrow transplant right as soon as possible, or she might not make it."

A sickening lump rise in HoroHoro's throat as the doctor continued, "About 25 to 30 percent of potential HSCT (Hematopoletic stem cell transplantation) patients have an HLA(Human leukocyte antigen)-identical sibling, so if the patient have siblings, there will be higher chances in finding an exact match."

"I'm her sister," Kahori said, grabbing the doctor by the arms; Sono and Hao pulled her back gently, but she shook them off impatiently, "You can do a test to find out if mine is compatible, right?"

"And if Kahori's can't match," Pillica added, "you can try mine as well, though we aren't related in any way."

"You can try all of ours," Matilda said, standing up from her seat and beckoning at Lyzerg, Marion, Kanna, and everyone else, "As long as there's a chance that one of ours can match!"

The doctor nodded, slightly overwhelmed. "All right, but we can only do the test one at a time," He glanced at Kahori, who nodded, "While I'm doing the test for this lady, all of you may go and visit the patient."

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Pale and sickly, Chitose laid on the hospital bed, all sorts of life-support equipment and medical monitor connected to her body through tubes. She turned her head slowly when she heard the door open, and saw HoroHoro, Hao, Sono, Pillica and the others rushing towards her.

"Chitose," HoroHoro said, grasping her outstretched hand as soon as he was near enough, "Are you feeling better?"

Chitose only shook her head a little, too exhausted to even talk. "Kahori's gone off to do a test to see if her bone marrow is compatible with yours," Hao said when Chitose stared at him inquiringly, and her eyes widened when she heard what Hao said. She shook her head again, this time with more force.

"It's ok," she whispered weakly, "get her back."

"It's not ok," Matilda said harshly, "We can't possibly let you wait for a suitable donor, can we?"

"It doesn't matter," Chitose said again, "There are possible diseases that will affect the donor if the transplantation doesn't go well. What if Kahori…"

"It'll be fine," Yoh said quietly, "everything will be ok."

Chitose sighed softly and closed her eyes. "I would like to be alone for a while," she said finally, her voice still weak and shaky.

"But…" Pillica argued, and HoroHoro silenced her with a nod of his head. "We'll let you rest now, then." He said, getting up, and Chitose smiled at him, "just be sure to get well."

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It was soon revealed that Kahori's bone marrow was only partially matched; so were Sono's and HoroHoro's, while the others' weren't compatible at all.

"Partially matched donors can be used if an exact match cannot be found, but may increase risks of Graft Rejection, or Graft-versus-host disease(GVHD)," The doctor had informed them, "but, because the patient is very weak, it is better if we use an exact match."

"Then what will you be doing to Chitose before you can find a suitable donor?" Kanna asked.

"We'll put her on antibiotics and antifungal for now," the doctor replied, "but there is no guarantee that she might not suffer from internal bleeding while we wait for a suitable donor. The patient is also, like I said earlier, very weak, so let her get as much rest as possible."

As the doctor walked away, the group stood in silence, pondering over what he had just said. Somewhere down the aisle, someone stopped the doctor, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"The patient in room 215," the doctor replied with a sigh, assuming that she was also a friend of Chitose's, "It might be hard to find a bone marrow transplant for her."

Out of the corner of her eye, Anna saw a bright-eyed girl with long black hair that fell to her waist staring thoughtfully at them as the doctor walked off. She was holding a big basket filled with tiny bouquets of flowers, and when she heard what the doctor said, her face filled with sadness.

"Do we know her?" Anna wondered as the girl started walking towards them, "Maybe a friend of Chitose's?"

Yoh and Hao too, seemed to have noticed the girl, and they turned to look at her when she stopped in front of them.

"Are you relatives of the patient in room 215?" She asked, and everyone stared at her.

"Who are you?" Ren asked cautiously, watching as the girls eyes flitted to behind him, where Bason was. "She can see me, master," Bason said to Ren, who blinked in surprise, then regained his composure.

"I'm just a teenager trying to sell flowers for a living, that's all," she said, not cheerfully, but not coldly either.

"I'm sorry," Pillica said, "but we don't…"

"I'm not trying to sell them to you," the girl interrupted, knowing right away what Pillica wanted to say, "I'm just…passing by, that's all."

She walked past quietly, and took a glance into the room Chitose was in before rounding a corner and disappearing.

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After the meeting with that "flower girl", as Yoh referred to her as, Chitose's condition improved slightly, but she was still unable to sit up. She also said that the nurse taking care of her frequently came in with a bouquet of fresh flowers everyday, saying that it was addressed to her. But, the weird thing was, no one ever saw who it was who left the bouquet at the nurses' counter.

"Must be her," Hao said thoughtfully as they sat around the ward, "that weird girl who was selling flowers the other day... she asked about Chitose, didn't she?"

"We can't be sure," Lyzerg disagreed, "it might be the nurse herself."

"It doesn't matter who it's from, really," Chitose said, smiling slightly, "I think it's a really sweet gesture."

She closed her eyes as she spoke. "Are you tired?" HoroHoro asked quickly, and Chitose nodded.

"Just slightly," she said sheepishly, and Ren stood up. "We should let you get some rest," he said, grabbing his Kwan Dao as he turned to leave, "we'll drop by again tomorrow."

"Take good care of yourself," Matilda told Chitose, and Marion nodded. "Mari shall leave Chuck here," she said softly, "So that if anything happens, Chuck will be able to report to Mari right away…"

"Thank you," Chitose said, petting the ragged doll Marion had placed on the drawer beside her bed.

The moment the door shut, and their footsteps faded away, Chitose sighed, and placed a hand on her forehead tiredly.

"The time is coming," she whispered.

Chuck cocked its head slowly to one side when he heard Chitose's words, and Elysia stared at him suspiciously, using one of its hind legs to kick Chuck gently. Chuck jerked suddenly, and Elysia dived into Chitose's blanket in fear, and when it poked its head out for a peek again, Chuck was sitting at the same place and position once more.

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"Will she be fine? It's been a week since she was hospitalized." Kanna asked as they got back into the En Inn.

"We just have to hope that a suitable donor is located soon," Jun said wearily, slumping onto the couch.

Just then, HoroHoro's handphone vibrated violently, and he jumped and answered the call hurriedly.

"Hello?" He said, then heard the doctor's voice, "Yes, I am HoroHoro," he said, sitting up, "What? Now? Oh, sure…"

He hung up, and stood up. "A donor has been found," He said quickly, slipping his shoes on while Jun groaned.

"We should have stayed at the hospital a while longer," she said with a sigh, and followed everyone out once more, "what else did the doctor say, HoroHoro?"

"He says that they will get ready for the transplant as soon as we help Chitose settle all the documents and stuff," HoroHoro replied, "The donor's name is _Takabe Mei_, and he also said that the operation might not be a success because Chitose is still too weak...But still, it's worth a shot."

"So this Mei girl has a compatible match with Chitose's?" Kahori asked, and HoroHoro nodded.

"Apparently so," he said grimly, "Whatever it is, let's hurry."

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Several hours have passed since Chitose entered the operation room, looking all pale and weak once more. The donor, Mei, was already inside the operation room, so HoroHoro had no chance to thank her when they reached, and could only wait, once again, outside the room anxiously for the doctor to come out.

Marion was holding Chuck close to her ear, as if listening to the doll speak. Finally, she spoke up.

"Chuck told Mari that Chitose said 'the time is coming' the moment we left the ward earlier just now," she said quietly, and everyone exchanged quizzical looks.

"What did she mean?" Kanna demanded, and Marion shrugged. "Beats me," she said, looking away. HoroHoro felt a cold jolt surge through his body; it couldn't mean what he thought it possibly mean, could it?

"Tell me the transplant will be successful," He thought worriedly, "It has to be, or else…"

_Or else what?_ An inner voice asked him, _will you kill yourself if she doesn't survive? _

HoroHoro shook his head violently, like a child trying to get water out of his ears. "Nothing of that sort is going to happen," He told himself firmly, "So beat it, you idiot, and keep hoping for the best…"

……

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_Fallen Darkness, rising sun,  
__Impending death, soon to come.  
__Treasured smile, gone forever,  
__Buried beneath our solid earth.  
__Left alone, once again,  
__Things will never be the same.  
__Saying goodbye, letting go,  
__Living in isolation, till you turn old.  
__Time has made a fool of us once more;  
__Where have all the happy memories disappeared to?  
__But hold my hand, till the end,  
__And smile as we say,  
_"_Don't shed a tear; we'll meet again,  
__On the very same land"._

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HoroHoro stood alone 2 years later, at the exact same spot he'd stood with Chitose years ago before she had passed away, staring blankly out at the ocean, letting the waves hit against his legs forcefully, his eyes blank and deadened, with minimal signs of life in them.

After all, there wasn't much to live for after she was gone. The only reason why HoroHoro was still alive was because he didn't want to make Pillica sad. But that was about it. Everyone else had gone back to their daily lives; Lyzerg, Matilda, Kanna and Marion returned to England after Chitose's wake, promising to bring Faust along when they visit again, and Ren and Jun left for China as well.

Kahori vacated the home where Chitose once lived with Ayame, feeling too upset to set foot in the house, and shifted to the En Inn to live with Hao, HoroHoro, Yoh and Anna.

Sono, having disappeared right after the funeral, was never seen again, and from what Kahori last heard, he was no longer working at the garage where Chitose was hurt.

No one seemed to have forgotten Chitose's death anniversary; although Sono did not follow Kahori, Hao, HoroHoro, Yoh and Anna for the grave visiting earlier this afternoon, there were two bouquets of flowers, one evidently from Sono, while the other, no one knew.

Marion, Lyzerg, Matilda and Kanna sent cards, and so did Ren and Jun, who had also included, in the card, that they would be coming back for a visit very soon.

Presently, HoroHoro thought he was alone, the only one standing dumbly at the sands, but a small tap on his shoulder told him that he had company. He turned, and saw the familiar face of the "flower girl" they'd met in the hospital years ago. She smiled gently at him.

"I knew you were that boy from the hospital 2 years ago," she said as she stood beside HoroHoro, who said nothing.

"Have you visited her grave?" She asked unexpectedly, and HoroHoro glared up at her. She didn't flinch.

"I went there earlier," she said simply, and HoroHoro stared in surprise. So she was the one who had left the second bouquet of flowers beside Sono's?

"Why?" HoroHoro said finally, glancing up at her, "Why did you go? And how did you know that today is Chitose's death anniversary?"

The girl stared at him, then smiled. "That's right, you still don't know," she said, "I'm _Takabe Mei_. I was the one who wanted to donate my bone marrow to your friend two years ago."

HoroHoro's jaw dropped and looked at the girl in surprise. Mei only smiled, pushing a strand of black hair off her face as the salty sea breeze blew past.

_'Stay strong and believe in Miracles'_ she said as she waved goodbye to him, and turned to walk away, "That's what your friend told me to tell you in the operation room two years ago if I ever got to see you again."

HoroHoro only stared after Mei, who strolled away, her long blue dress fluttering in the wind.

"_Stay strong, and believe in Miracles_…?" HoroHoro muttered, turning to stare out of the ocean once again.

And out of the corner of his eye, HoroHoro thought he saw Chitose standing beside him once again, smiling that familiar, cheerful smile, and saying, "Yeah, that's right! **Believe in Miracles, and you will definitely find it someday!"**

_And when you feel that all hope is lost,  
__Come back here and look out into the horizon.  
__I will definitely be here to encourage you,  
__Even though you are not able to see me…_

**Yeah, I'm done! Hee! This is the end of Miracles, and the start of _Wanderlust_, a story revolving around the "flower girl" Mei and HoroHoro! Thanks to everyone who has been following through and giving support to the story; I greatly appreciate it! Do look forward to Wanderlust as well! The first chapter will be up by next Friday, so watch out for it! Thank you!**


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